Don't Let Me Down
by amanipaz
Summary: What if Kate got sick on the island...really sick? How would Jack react? Set mid-season 2
1. A Pain Behind the Eyes

What if Kate got sick on the island…really sick? Season 2ish

Kate was a fugitive. She was also the daughter of an abusive father and a mother who loved her abusive father more than her daughter. Needless to say, Kate didn't have a lot of experience with someone being there to take care of her. Since landing on the island, Jack had taken better care of her in the few weeks she had known him than anyone else in her life. But after their recent falling out over the stupid kiss and run incident, Kate no longer felt like she could count on Jack to be there for her the same as he was before. That's why when Kate awoke one morning shortly after her hike with Claire feeling slightly under the weather, she didn't immediately go to Jack for help. In fact, she never even mentioned the hike to Jack at all.

Kate awoke early in the morning to a slight ache behind her eyes. After the excitement of the hike combined with the mounting tension between her and Jack, the headache wasn't all that surprising. Kate gathered all the water bottles she could find and set out for the caves to retrieve fresh water for the group.

"Hey ya Freckles!" Kate heard the Southern twang as she was walking along the path

"Hey Sawyer"

"Where ya heading? Off for some fun times with the Doc?"

"No" Kate snapped, "I'm on my way to get water"

"Oh that's right, I forgot, you and the Doc are on the outs."

"What do you want Sawyer?" Kate was definitely not in the mood for Sawyer's pestering this morning.

"Well I was just minding my business over here, just wanted to make friendly conversation with a pretty lady." Sawyer winked at her as he said this.

"I'll see you around Sawyer." Kate said as she left Sawyer and continued down the path.

As she was walking, her headache was getting continuously worse. She made it to the caves and began filling up the water bottles, hoping that a little water would help cure her headache. Once she finished filling the bottles she turned and headed back to the beach. Along the path she ran into the one person she had been making a conscious effort to avoid the last few days, Jack.

Jack wasn't any more excited to see Kate than she was to see him. But he knew he couldn't completely ignore her either.

"Hey Jack" she said, not really meeting his eyes. Jack notices almost immediately that Kate was looking more tired than normal.

"Hey Kate, you look you had a long night?"

"Yeah, the sand only makes for a good bed for so long."

Jack laughed at that. It felt good to laugh with her again, it had been a while.

"Well, I gotta get back to the beach with this water now. Don't work too hard Jack."

"I can't make any promises there, you should get some more sleep, you could use it."

By the time Kate made it back to the beach, her headache was getting unbearable. She dropped the water off with Hurley and decided to take Jack's advice and get some extra sleep. She lay down on her makeshift bed and was asleep within minutes.

After his brief encounter with Kate, Jack made his way from the hatch back to the beach, stopping to grab some mangoes on the way. He hadn't spent much time at the beach lately, partly because of the tension between himself and Kate and partly because of the situation in the hatch with Henry Gale. He decided that he needed to make a brief appearance at the beach to check on everyone and to make sure that no one became suspicious. And though he wouldn't admit it, after seeing Kate looking so exhausted, he was worried about her. After he arrived at the beach, he first sought out Claire and Aaron. Aaron had been sick recently and though Jack knew it was nothing to worry about, Claire, like any new mother, had been panicked.

"Hey Claire, how is Aaron this morning?"

"Oh Jack, good morning! Aaron is much better today, thank you."

"Can I just have a quick look at him to make sure his fever is gone and that everything is ok?"

"Sure but he hasn't been as fussy since Kate and I came back from hiking into the jungle 2 days ago."

"What are you talking about Claire? Why did you and Kate go into the jungle and why did no one feel the need to keep me in the loop?"

"I needed to find the place where I was taken when t_hey_ took me. I was so scared they had done something to hurt Aaron and Kate agreed to go with me, but don't be angry at her, she only went along so I didn't have to go alone."

Jack didn't know what to make of this information. Claire and Kate had gone wondering into the jungle of doom alone? Didn't they realize they could have been hurt or worse killed? But he couldn't be mad at Kate for trying to protect Claire. That's just who she was. She wanted to protect everyone.

"And did you find what you were looking for Claire?"

"I found enough to remember what happened to me while I was out there. And I'd rather not talk about it right now if that's alright."

"That's ok Claire, but if you ever do need to talk about it, you can come to me. Aaron is looking good today, no fever, no rash, much better."

"Thank you Jack. Have you talked to Kate lately? She looked like she wasn't feeling well earlier this morning."

"Yeah, I saw her earlier and you're right, she didn't look too good but you know Kate, she won't say anything and I can't do anything for her unless she lets me."

Claire laughed, knowing the truth of Jack's statement. "Well, you should still keep an eye on her. You know she cares about you a lot."

"What are you, the island matchmaker?" Jack laughed at Claire's comment but deep down he was thrilled by it but also afraid to truly believe it because he had been witness to Kate's mixed emotions. He wasn't sure Kate even knew who she cared for right now. Jack left Claire and Aaron and went to join the rest of the group to have lunch, fish and mango, like always. He sat down with Hurley and Charlie.

"Hey, have you guys seen Kate?" Jack realized that he should push her a little and make sure she really was feeling ok. Jack had an incessant need to take care of everyone but with Kate it went over the top. He couldn't stand the idea of her in pain, even if things were tense between them right now.

"Yeah man, she brought the water by a while ago and then went back to her tent. She was looking kinda out of it man."

"Yeah, hopefully she is getting some sleep."

Kate woke up feeling utterly horrible. Her headache was excruciating and her entire body ached. Her throat was also beginning to hurt. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she realized that she needed Jack's help. She slowly made her way out of her tent, hoping that fate would smile on her and Jack would be at the beach right now.

Jack looked up from his lunch when he noticed the flap of Kate's tent move back. He immediately noticed that Kate was looking much worse than when he had seen her just a few hours earlier. He instantly got up to go to her when he noticed her stumble. She looked like she could barely hold herself up. Kate was struggling to take a step, her head was hurting so much she could barely see.

"Kate, what's wrong?" Jack asked as he approached her

"Jack…" Kate called weakly when she noticed him approaching. When he reached her, he took her arm to make sure she wouldn't fall over.

"Kate, tell me what's wrong." Jack was getting worried at this point. Kate looked weaker than he had ever seen her

"Jack, I don't feel so good."

Hearing her admit it, Jack knew that something was terribly wrong. He swiftly guided her back inside her tent and helped her lay down on her "bed."

"Kate can you tell me what hurts?"

"My head is killing me. It feels like its going to explode. And I ache all over." Jack placed his hand on Kate's forehead and felt in burning with fever. Jack was getting more concerned by the second. He felt underneath her jaw and realized that her glands were swollen. Jack knew that he needed to get her fever down and get some pain meds in her to help with the headache before he could do anything else. Being stranded on a desert island didn't make diagnosing a mysterious illness easy. All he could now was treat her symptoms. He also knew that the best way to help her was to take her back to the hatch and that was going to require revealing the secret about Henry Gale. Jack knew that Kate would not be pleased with him for keeping something so big a secret from her. But right now, his main priority was making sure she was ok.

"Ok Kate, you've got quite a fever going on and your glands are pretty swollen. It looks like we're dealing with some kind of Flu like bug. I'm going to take you back to the hatch so that we can we can get your fever down and get you something to help you feel better, ok?"

"I don't think I feel like walking that far right now Jack, I'm tired."

"You don't need to worry about that, I'll carry you. You can rest the whole way there." Jack then picked her up and they began to make the trek back to the hatch. Kate wrapped her arms around Jack's neck, feeling safer than she had since their argument started days ago even though she felt physically miserable.

"Thank you Jack," she whispered softly as they walked.

"It's what I'm here for. Even though things have been a little strained lately, I'll always be here to take care of you."


	2. Scaring the Doctor

On the short walk from the beach to the hatch, Kate fell asleep in Jack's arms. Jack was terribly worried about Kate, knowing how strong and independent she usually was and how weak she had been when he found her. Jack knew that he had to get Kate's fever down and soon. He kept a frenzied pace until he reached the hatch. He burst the door open in such a frantic manner that he startled Sayid and Ana Lucia, who were keep watch over Henry Gale and the button in the hatch. Once they saw that Jack was carrying a practically unconscious Kate, Sayid jumped up to assist.

"Jack, what happened?" Sayid asked

"She's sick, she's burning up, we have to get her fever down and soon." Jack responded.

Jack carried Kate into the small bedroom and laid her on the bed.

"Sayid, can you bring me a bowl of cool water and a cloth?"

"Of course, Jack" Sayid turned and left the room to retrieve the items Jack had requested.

Jack then turned his attention fully on Kate, noticing that she was paler than she had been when they left the beach and that her fever had also risen.

"Kate, can you wake up for me? I need you to help me out, come on now, wake up."

Jack tried to wake Kate up but he wasn't having any luck and his anxiety was increasing rapidly. He reached out and tried to gently shake her awake but got no result. Sayid then returned with the water and cloth that Jack had requested.

"Thanks Sayid, now can you look and see if there is a thermometer in here anywhere? I really need to get an accurate reading of her temperature."

Sayid began to look through all of the medical supplies located in the hatch while Jack dipped the cloth in the cool water and began running it across Kate's face. He spoke gently to Kate as he did so, trying to bring her out of her sleep.

"Come on Kate, I know you're tired, you have every right to be tired, you're always doing things for other people, but I need you to wake up right now, just for a few minutes so I can know how you're feeling. Come on Kate, I need to see your beautiful eyes."

Sayid returned carrying a thermometer that looked as if it were fifty years old, and in all honesty, it probably was, but Jack was grateful for it nonetheless. He carefully stuck it under Kate's tongue and waited to get a reading.

"104.1, we can't let her fever get any higher. A degree higher and there is the possibility of irreversible brain damage. We can't let that happen, not to her." Jack stated in the direction of Sayid but was more a declaration to himself.

"How do we get her fever down Jack?" Sayid questioned

"We are going to have to put her in the shower. Can you go turn the water on to a cool temperature? Not too cold though, we don't want to send her into shock."

"Of course" Sayid replied before walking out of the room.

Jack turned his attention back to Kate, speaking to her unconscious form once again while gently removing her shoes and socks. "Kate, we have to get your fever down so we need to cool your body by putting you in chilly water. It'll be a bit of a shock at first, but you'll be ok, I promise, you'll be ok." Jack picked her up and carried her into the small bathroom where Sayid was waiting for them with the shower running. Jack stepped into the shower holding Kate, both of them still in their clothes. As soon as the cold water hit Kate's skin, she began to stir. She tried to remove herself from Jack's grasp and get out of reach of the cold water, but Jack held her tightly, refusing to let her get away from the cool stream.

"Kate, I know it's uncomfortable but it's necessary. It's just for a few minutes and then we can get out, I promise, shh, it's ok. You're going to be ok."

Jack sat in the shower with Kate trying to figure out what could be plaguing her small body that would cause a fever of such epic proportions. The more Jack tried to come up with an answer, the more distraught he became.

Sayid watched from his spot by the door as Jack attempted to help the island's own fugitive. Sayid, along with everyone else on the island, save Jack and Kate, knew that Kate held a very special place in Jack's heart and vice versa. It was written all over his face at that moment. Sayid was aware that Jack cared about everyone on the island, undoubtedly more than anyone else. Jack was constantly looking after everyone else, often at the expense of his own wellbeing. However, in this moment, it was obvious that he was agonized over the situation with Kate in a way that he would not be over any of the other castaways.

"Jack, what do you think is wrong with her?" he quietly asked the doctor.

"I don't know. There are a thousand things that I know of that it could be and a thousand more unknown tropical diseases that could infest this island. Without talking to her, knowing more of her symptoms, seeing blood work…I just don't know." Jack replied in an anguished voice.

After several minutes of sitting in the shower with Kate, trying to calm her, and softly conversing with Sayid, Jack decided it was time to get her out of the water. He slowly stood up and Sayid handed him a towel to dry the two of them off with. Jack took great care drying Kate off and then carried her back into the bedroom. As he passed Ana Lucia in the hallway, he briefly acknowledged her presence, only to ask her to retrieve dry clothes for Kate. Though it had once seemed that Jack and Ana Lucia were close, in that moment, it was obvious that in a choice between Kate and Ana Lucia, Jack's heart and mind belonged only with Kate. Jack sat with Kate on his lap until Ana Lucia returned, to prevent the bed from getting wet. As they waited, he returned the thermometer to her mouth and got an updated reading on her temperature. He let out a small sigh as he saw that it had gone down a bit, to 103.5. Not much improvement, but some nonetheless. Ana Lucia returned then with dry clothes for both Jack and Kate. Jack nodded in thanks to her but had no other words to offer her at the moment and she silently slipped out of the room. With the drop in her temperature, Kate was beginning to regain a sense of her surroundings. Jack saw her slowly opening her eyes just as he was in the process of putting dry clothes on her.

"Hey Kate, come on, wake up now. Are you awake?" He asked, softly rubbing her cheek.

"Jack?" Kate asked weakly

"Yeah Kate, it's me, how are you feeling?" Jack asked her as he placed a t-shirt over head and positioned her back in the bed.

"Jack?" Kate asked again even fainter than before.

"Kate I'm right here, I'm with you, just like I told you I would be. But it's really important right now that you tell me how you are feeling. I need to know so I can help you feel better."

"Jack, I'm going to be sick." Kate murmured. Jack didn't even have time to react before the contents of Kate's small breakfast were regurgitated onto the floor of the bedroom. Kate fell back against the pillows in the bed once she finished throwing up. Sayid moved into the room to assist in cleaning the mess while Jack continued to focus his attention on Kate.

"Jack, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, I didn't know I was going to be sick." Kate whispered in apology for the mess she had made.

"Kate, don't even think about that, it's not a big deal, we'll take care of it. Do you feel any better now that you've gotten in out of your system?" Jack asked her patiently.

"Not really, I still feel nauseous and my head is killing me. I've never had a headache this bad in my life, Jack. It feels like my head is going to explode.

"Ok, I'm going to give you something to help with your headache as soon as you can answer a few more questions for me, ok?" Jack asked her. At this point, Jack had completely taken on the role of doctor and was determined to figure out what was making Kate sick so that he could make her well.

"Ok," Kate agreed, even though Jack could already see her eyelids beginning to droop again.

"Come on, Kate, stay awake for me, please. Have you been drinking enough water and eating regularly?"

Kate gave a small "yes" in response.

"Did anything happen on your hike with Claire that could have made you sick?"

Kate didn't even register that Jack knew of her hike when she had tried to keep it a secret from him. She was too weak and tired to care at this point. She simply shook her head "no" and thought no more of it.

"Does anything besides your head and your stomach hurt?" Jack continued with his questioning.

All of the sudden Kate began to shiver, as if a sudden burst of cool air had entered the room, when in fact, no such thing had happened. Jack pulled a blanket up over her but she continued to shiver and did not answer his question.

"Kate?" He asked hoping to prompt an answer to his previous question

"Jack, I'm so cold," was her only response. In a matter of seconds, Jack watched her go from completely still to shaking almost as violently as if she were having a seizure. Jack began piling all of the blankets he could find on her but still her shivering didn't subside.

"JJJJaacckkkk, I cccan't ssstopp ssshhhakkinnng." Kate mumbled through her chattering teeth.

"I know, sweetheart, I know." Jack replied as he ran his large hand across her delicate face. Neither Jack nor Kate realized that he had just called her sweetheart, but Sayid who was watching from the corner, definitely took note of it.

"Jackkkk, eeeeverythingggg hurts, my my my, wwhhoolleee body." Kate eventually managed to state through her frenzied shivering.

"Shhh," Jack tried to soothe her, but with little success. Finally, realizing that he was going to be unable to stop her shivering from where he was, Jack climbed into bed with Kate and pulled her back to his chest, wrapping his arms and legs around her small body. From this position, Jack was able to hold Kate closely enough to help control the shaking, though it was not enough to make it stop. "Shh, Kate, I've got you and I won't let anything happen to you, I promise. Just relax, you're ok." Jack whispered softly into her ear.

Looking up, Jack addressed Sayid, "Go look through the medicine, find anything that is a fever reducer, Tylenol, Advil, anything, and quickly!" Sayid immediately ran off to comply with Jack's request. As Jack and Kate were left alone in the room, Kate turned her head to look into Jack's eyes. Jack was immediately unnerved by the vacant look in her eyes, almost as if she didn't know where she was or what was happening. He also noticed her eyes beginning to drift shut.

"Kate, don't fall asleep, not yet!" He stated loudly enough to jar her from her near restful state. Sayid returned then with a bottle of Tylenol and water, which he handed to Jack.

Jack helped Kate sit up and gave her a few of the Tylenol and some water, which she swallowed without much fight. Jack then lowered Kate and himself back to the mattress, where she was asleep within sixty seconds. Jack was highly concerned by her high fever, vomiting, and shivering but her inability to stay awake for more than a couple of minutes was causing him the greatest worry. And with no more than Tylenol to give her at the moment, Jack knew that combating even the simplest of symptoms could be a life threatening challenge, and Kate definitely had more than that simplest of symptoms.

Jack continued to lay with Kate, even after she had fallen asleep again. Sayid once again noticed the special manner with which Jack dealt with Kate. Clearing his throat, he looked in Jack's direction and asked "Do you have any better idea now of what this might be? Do we need to be concerned about an epidemic here?"

Jack looked up and said," We are stranded on a tropical island, there are millions of disease carrying pests on this island, aside from all of the supernatural things we have encountered thus far. High fever, vomiting, headache, chills, those are symptoms of almost every tropic disease known to man and probably most that aren't yet known," Jack declared, with an obvious edge to his tone.

Sayid could tell from the look in Jack's eyes that this wasn't the entirety of what he was thinking. "There are thousands of possibilities, but you have idea of what this might be, don't you? You have your suspicions and are afraid to admit them? Is it that bad?"

Jack looked Sayid straight in the eye at this point and Sayid could see the fear and panic there. "Yes, I have my suspicions and yes I am afraid Sayid...I think she has malaria," Jack responded in a shaky voice.


	3. Won't Let You Down

In honor of World Malaria Day 2012

* * *

As soon as Jack voiced his suspicions, the fear almost overwhelmed him.

"Malaria?" Sayid asked

Jack was struggling to stay composed at this point. He was searching his brain for a way to turn off the fear and be a doctor. He knew that if he was going to help Kate, he couldn't let the fear consume him. He shook his head and answered Sayid, "Yes, that's what her symptoms seem to indicate, although I've never seen a case of it myself. It's not something you see much of at an upscale suburban hospital in the US. But I should have known to expect something like this. We're on a tropical island in the South Pacific. There are mosquitoes everywhere, we've all been bitten."

"So you are saying we could all end up with it?" Sayid questioned

"It's possible, but not likely. We just need to keep a close eye on everyone else and make sure we do something before the symptoms get as bad as Kate's if it shows up in someone else." Jack replied

Kate's shivering was beginning to die down at and Jack noticed that her fever seemed to be getting a little lower. He moved to get up from the bed where he had been laying with her.

"We have to figure out how to treat this. They don't really teach you how to treat tropical diseases while stranded on a tropical island with virtually no medical supplies in med school. But I have to figure out how to help her. We need to control her fever and keep her hydrated. Sayid, I need you to go to the beach and get Sawyer and Sun and bring them back, quickly."

"Of course," Sayid responded and then rushed out of the room. After Sayid left, Jack moved a chair over by the bed and took Kate's hand. He felt useless at the moment, having nothing to help her but a cool cloth. Sawyer had taken all of the meds that he had collected when he ransacked the armory a few days earlier. The only medicine he had now was what was with him in his backpack, where Sayid found the Tylenol he had given Kate earlier. Jack had always felt a sense of animosity toward Sawyer but in this moment, he didn't think he had ever hated anyone with as much passion as he hated Sawyer. If only he had those medicines, he could be helping Kate right now instead of sitting by helplessly. But Jack also knew that there were no anti-malaria drugs in that stash. All he could hope for was something to keep her fever down, something to help with the nausea and most importantly, something to help with her pain. He also knew that he had to keep her hydrated, which meant getting her awake occasionally, which Jack remembered from med school, was often hard to do with malaria patients. Jack continued to sit by Kate's bedside, lost in his thoughts, waiting for Sayid to return with Sawyer and Sun.

Ana Lucia looked into the room, hoping for a chance to talk to Jack but when she saw the way Jack was looking at Kate, saw the pure terror in his eyes, and the way he was holding her hand, Ana Lucia knew that there was nothing for her to say and she returned to the other room to take care of the computer.

Meanwhile, Sayid ran through the jungle until he reached the beach camp. It didn't take him long to locate Sun, who was sitting outside with Claire and Aaron.

"Sun, I need you to come with me to the hatch right away. Jack needs your help, Kate is sick." Sayid rushed out.

"Kate is sick? What is wrong with her?" Sun inquired

"Jack isn't sure but he is extremely worried, he thinks she might have malaria."

"Malaria?" Claire and Sun both exclaimed at the same time.

"Yes, she has an extremely high fever and is having headaches. Jack needs someone to help him and he asked for you, Sun."

"Of course I'll help him." Sun replied as she rose to accompany Sayid back to the hatch.

"There is one more we must convince to join us," Sayid informed her as they walked toward Sawyer's tent

"Sawyer?" Sun asked

"Yes, we need him because he has all of the medicine."

Sawyer was sitting outside his tent, in his normal location, laid back with a book in his hand.

"Well if it ain't Suddam himself and he's brought Yoko Ono with him." Sawyer said as they approached him.

"Sawyer, we don't have time for your remarks today. You need to come with us back to the hatch."

"Well hold on now Suddam, I don't know if you noticed, but this hear ain't no commie-ville. I don't NEED to do anything, cept sit here and finish my book." Sawyer retorted

"You need to come with us because Kate is sick and I don't think you want to sit here and wait for her to die."

At the sound of Kate's name in the same sentence with the word die, Sawyer was on his feet. "What are ya talking about? What's wrong with her? Where is she? Where's the doc? Ain't he with her, playing hero? What does she need me for?" Sawyer rambled.

"She is with Jack in the hatch. He thinks she has malaria. She is really ill Sawyer and you have all of the medicine." Sayid explained

"Oh shit, I didn't even think about that. Let's go" All three of them then took off into the jungle towards the hatch.

Jack was still holding Kate's hand and trying to figure out the best course of action when the three burst into the hatch. Jack stepped out of the room where Kate was still sleeping and met the others in the main room. Jack immediately turned on Sawyer. "Kate is sick, really sick, the kind of sick that causes people to DIE. And there is nothing I can do to help her because I don't have any medicine to give her. Not that there was ever an abundance here, but what little there is that could help her, I don't have because you are on some insane power trip. She was crying out in pain and I couldn't stop it! If she dies because I couldn't help her, so help me, I'll kill you." Jack spat out, letting his frustrations get the best of him.

Sawyer was momentarily stunned by Jack's outburst. Of course he loved to push Jack's buttons, to do anything to get under his skin, and he loved to hold the upper hand in any game and by having the guns and meds, he definitely had the upper hand now, but he never considered that this could come at the expense of Kate. The thought of her crying out in pain with nothing to help was nearly enough to send him to his knees, though he would never let anyone know that. He also wasn't about to apologize to Jack for taking the upper hand, but he sure as hell wasn't going to let Kate suffer or die because of him. He simply nodded his head and said "I'll get them," and then rushed out of the hatch to retrieve the drugs as quickly as he could.

Jack took a moment to rein in his anger before turning to address Sun. "Sun, thank you for coming. Kate, I think she has malaria. There's no way I can tell for sure, but it's what her symptoms are indicating. I don't want you near her in case that's not what this is and it's contagious but I need your help. The drugs we have are limited, even with what Sawyer has. I need you to find anything you can in the jungle or in your garden that can help with pain or nausea or fever. You know plants in a way that I don't, so anything you can find to help, please."

"Of course Jack, I can think of a few things that might be helpful, I'll go collect those now." Sun responded and then turned to leave.

Jack then left Sayid and Ana Lucia and returned to Kate. He immediately put his hand on her forehead to check her temperature again. He noticed that it had risen once again. Jack retrieved the bowl of water and cloth and once again began to wipe her face and neck with the cool water. As he was doing so, he began to talk to her softly. It was something he had seen nurses and family members doing at the hospital where he worked in LA and had noticed that his patients who had someone talk to them seemed to recover much more quickly than those who didn't.

"Hey Kate, I'm back, I just stepped out to talk to Sawyer and Sun. Sawyer has gone to get some more medicine for you so hopefully we can help you get better soon. I think he was really concerned about you, but don't tell him that I told you. We need you to get better Kate. You're like the glue that keeps everything together here. I need you to get better. You make being stranded here bearable. So please, be ok."

Just as Jack was finishing his monologue, Sawyer returned carrying all of the medicine he had taken a few days ago. "Here, just take it." Sawyer said as he shoved the items at Jack. "How is she?"

"Her fever's just gone up again; I'm trying to get it back down. Hopefully there is something here that can help her, but at this point I just don't know." Jack's previous ire had been far overshadowed by his fear and concern for Kate by the time Sawyer returned. Jack immediately began to go through the medicine, separating out what he needed for Kate. Sawyer leaned over squeezed Kate's hand, "Feel better soon Freckles, we got some unfinished business to take care of when you wake up." With that, he turned and left the room.

Jack was able to find several drugs that might be helpful in his attempt to treat Kate's illness. There were antibiotics, which Jack knew was considered a last resort in treating malaria patients when nothing else was available, but at this point he was thrilled to find that. He also found some painkillers which he could give her if the intense headaches returned. He found an anti-nausea medication and he also found iron pills, which was a stroke of luck since anemia is one of the main problems cause by malaria and the iron could help with that. Jack was somewhat relieved by the items he found. He needed to get some of the drugs, especially the antibiotics into Kate immediately.

"Kate, wake up, come on now, I need you to wake up." Jack placed his hand on Kate's shoulder and tried to rouse her from her sleep but she didn't make any sign of waking. Jack put his hand behind her back and gently raised her up. He leaned down to whisper in her ear, "Kate, you need to take some medicine, it'll help you feel better, I promise, can you please wake up for me? I really need to see your pretty eyes now."

Kate eyes began to open slowly. Her eyes were wondering around, not seeming to focus on anything.

"Hey Kate! I'm glad you're awake," Jack smiled, relieved at seeing her awake. "Can you take some medicine for me now?" Kate turned her groggy eyes on Jack when she heard his voice.

"Jack? What's going on?"

"Kate, you're pretty sick, but it's nothing for you to be worried about. But I do need you to take some medicine." Jack told her as he handed her two pills and a glass of water. Kate took the pills and quickly swallowed them, as Jack held her up.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, I need to get up, there are things that need to be done." Kate tried to get out of bed but was too weak to even sit up on her own.

Jack gently pushed Kate back against the pillows. "Kate, you're sick, too sick to be getting out of bed right now. Just relax and let me take care of you."

Kate's eyes were already beginning to slide shut again. "But Jack," she feebly tried to protest.

"No buts Kate, I'm a doctor and my orders are for you to stay in bed. I promise that I won't let things fall apart while you rest. I've got your back, remember?"

"Ok"

"Before you go back to sleep though, I need to know how you are really feeling. I know you don't feel fine."

"Achy and tired and too hot."

"Does your head still hurt? Are you nauseous?" Jack asked, trying to figure out just how bad her symptoms were.

"My head still hurts; it's like a pressure building up and about to explode. I don't feel so nauseous anymore though."

"Ok, well then I'm going to give you a painkiller too so that hopefully that'll take care of it, ok?"

"Sure, you're the doctor," Kate replied

Jack handed her another pill which she took before settled back against the pillows.

"Jack, what's wrong with me? Tell me the truth. You look scared."

Jack sighed, he hadn't wanted to tell her what was wrong, he didn't want to scare her. But he couldn't lie to her either. "Kate, I can't be sure because I have no way to test for it, but I think you have malaria. Have you noticed any mosquito bites in the last few weeks?"

"Yeah I guess, but malaria? That's bad isn't it?" Kate seemed genuinely concerned for her own well being for the first time since Jack had met her.

"It is pretty bad but you don't need to worry, I promise that I'm going to take care of you. I won't let you down, you're too important," Jack confessed

"I know you won't, I trust you Jack," Kate whispered just before her eyes slide shut once again.


	4. Priority

Jack sat protectively by Kate's bedside for 12 straight hours. Sun returned shortly after Kate had fallen asleep, having brought the promised plants with her. After explaining to Jack what each was for, she offered to sit with Kate so Jack could take a break.

"Jack, why don't you go get some sleep or something to eat, you've been with her for a while now. I will stay and watch her."

"Thanks Sun but I'm not leaving her right now. I need to be here in case something happens," Jack answered.

Sun then slipped quietly from the room, leaving Jack sitting alone with Kate. No one else bothered them for several hours. During that time, Jack sat beside Kate, occasionally talking to Kate's sleeping form, telling her stories about his past, about life back in the real world, about things that he missed.

"You know Kate, one thing I really miss from back in the real world is baseball. I don't have a lot of good memories of my father but I remember this one day when I was probably about six, he came home from work early and told me to get ready to go. That was the first time I ever went to a major league baseball game. We watched the Oakland Athletics play the Red Sox. The Sox were amazing in that series, swept the A's. I was totally convinced that they were going to win the World Series but my dad just kept saying "The Sox will never win the series." It was something he would say all the time, anytime something crazy happened, he's say "That's why the Sox'll never win the series." That was one of the best days of my childhood though; hanging out with dad, watching baseball, doing things that normal kids did with their dads. But we got home that evening and my dad left for the hospital and I didn't see him again for a week. I watched the rest of the series alone and I remember thinking that I must have done something to make him angry because otherwise he wouldn't have left like that. As I got older, I saw less and less of him and we didn't go to anymore baseball games but that one day instilled a love of the game in me. I even played in high school, 2nd base, haha. What I wouldn't give to be playing baseball again."

Jack laughed at himself, telling this deeply personal story to a sleeping woman, who even though he denied it, meant more to him than anyone had in a really long time, maybe ever. Jack's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by shouts outside of the bedroom. As much as Jack didn't want to leave Kate's side, he knew that he also had a responsibility to the entire camp; they looked to him for guidance and at this point, with Henry Gale locked in the armory, and everyone arguing over what to do with him, Jack knew that the camp was in desperate need of guidance. Even if Kate was undoubtedly where most of his concern and protectiveness was concentrated, Jack still had a need to take care of everyone.

Jack opened the door to the bedroom to see Ana Lucia entering the armory and Locke shut the door behind her.

"What's going on John?"

"We need answers Jack, Ana Lucia knows how to get them, she was a cop."

"Yes John and you just locked her in a room with someone you believe to be responsible for the murdering and kidnapping of our people?" Jack yelled. He was already on edge with worrying about Kate and now he was beginning to lose his temper.

"Well Jack, sometimes sacrifices have to be made. It was a risk she was willing to take in an effort to help us all," Locke responded.

Jack knew he wouldn't get Locke to understand why locking Ana Lucia in there with Henry Gale was insane. He tried to open the armory, only to realize that Locke had changed the combination. At this, Jack's anger really began to take over. Jack's instincts had always been to fight first, think second. Without another thought, Jack's fist connected with Locke's face and Locke immediately hit the ground. Fortunately Sawyer and Sayid entered the hatch just as this all began and rushed over to pull Jack off of Locke. Locke just sat up with the same smug look on his face that was always in place.

"Woah Dr. Giggles, what's gotten into you? I mean, we all know the great white hunter over here is a little off his rocker, but there's no need to go trying to beat the crazy out of him," Sawyer taunted as he held Jack back.

"He locked Ana Lucia in the armory with Gale and changed the combination," Jack snapped.

Just as Sayid was about to respond, a thud was heard coming from the bedroom. Sawyer immediately let go of Jack and both of them rushed into the room where Kate had been sleeping. They found her lying passed out on the floor.

Jack immediately forgot his worries about Ana Lucia and turned his attention back to Kate.

"Doc, what happened? She okay?" Sawyer began to question.

"I don't know Sawyer, I need you to go convince Locke to give you the combination to the armory and make sure Ana Lucia is still alive while I take care of Kate."

"And how do you suppose I do that, Dr. Fix it?"

"I don't know Sawyer, you're the conman, con it out of him!" Jack snapped

Sawyer walked out the room then, returning to the drama in the main area while Jack turned to helping Kate. He picked her up and placed her back in the bed. Then he placed his hand on her forehead, once again checking her temperature. She definitely still had a fever but it wasn't in such dangerous territory as it had been earlier.

"Kate, it's time to wake up, you've been asleep for a long time, come on, rise and shine," Jack said trying to get Kate awake. She began to stir and Jack was glad to see that she was a little easier to rouse this time than she had been the last few times he had tried to wake her.

"Jack? What happened?" Kate mumbled groggily

"I'm not sure Kate, did you wake up and try to get out of bed?" Jack asked her, trying to understand what had caused her to collapse on the floor.

"I woke up and I was so thirsty so I tried to get up to go get some water but I'm so tired, I didn't even have the energy to stand up."

Upon hearing this, Jack immediately jumped up to get some water for Kate. He handed her a bottle, "Here, drink this slowly, drink as much as you can, we want to make sure you stay hydrated." Jack helped her sit up but when she tried to bring the bottle up to her mouth, she was too weak to even hold it. Jack gently took it from her hands and held it to her lips so that she could drink. When he was finished, he helped her lay back down.

"How are you feeling, other than tired?"

"I'm too tired to talk Jack," Kate whispered so softly Jack barely heard her.

"I know you are Kate but I need you to tell me how you're feeling and then you need to take some more medicine then I promise I'll let you sleep again."

"My head…hurts…and I'm cold," Kate mumbled

"Okay, we can help with the cold for sure," Jack said with a slight smile as he helped her sit up once again and helped her take more medicine. As soon as he laid her back down, he added another blanket on top of her to help with her chills. Jack stood up but was stopped by Kate's hand on his arm. Jack turned and looked back at her and could tell that simply moving her hand had exhausted the last of her energy.

"Stay with me, don't leave me alone again," Kate said quietly

"I won't leave you, I'll be right here with you as long as you need me," Jack responded just as quietly, suddenly feeling guilty for leaving her alone earlier. In that moment, Jack realized that despite all of the drama and the problems with everyone else, Kate was his priority. He had to take care of her even if it meant letting someone else take care of the rest of the camp.


	5. Decisions and Safety

Jack kept his promise, staying with Kate, watching over her as she slept. He even remained with her when he began to hear voices shouting outside the bedroom. Jack simply remained on the bed with his arms wrapped around Kate, constantly checking her pulse and her temperature to ensure that she was ok. As much as Jack did not want to have to leave Kate or disturb the peaceful moment, it was inevitable that whatever problem the others were having would eventually be dumped on him. Jack loved everyone on the island, they were his family, the only real family he had ever known, but just like with any family, being the head of the household was often exhausting.

Sayid and Ana Lucia burst through the door to the bedroom just as that thought passed through Jack's mind. Jack immediately sat up when he heard them enter.

"Shhh, Kate is sleeping, please don't wake her!"

"I am sorry Jack but we have a situation concerning Henry, perhaps you can join us outside and we can discuss it," Sayid suggested.

"No, I'm sorry but I can't leave Kate right now," Jack replied as he rose from the bed. He motioned for Sayid and Ana Lucia to join him on the other side of the bedroom.

"Keep your voices down and quickly fill me in on what is happening," Jack ordered.

Ana Lucia held out a piece of paper with a rough sketch on it. "Henry drew this, a map to his balloon. I think we should go out and see if we can find it. If it's there, then we know he is telling the truth. If not, well then we can deal with that. But at least it's a way to find some answers."

"I agree with Ana Lucia. We must find some way to know if Henry is telling the truth. My methods were unsuccessful and I know you want the truth Jack," Sayid added.

Jack looked over the map in his hands before speaking. "If he's lying, this could end badly. If he's lying, there could be others besides him, others waiting for you at this spot. We all know there are others on this island and we know they aren't exactly friendly neighbors. If they are setting up a trap, you won't stand a chance."

"Jack, I've already killed one of them, I am capable of handling this and we need the truth." Ana Lucia responded.

"I know we need the truth and we seem to have run into a brick wall with getting answers out of Henry, so if you guys think this is the best plan, I will go along with it," Jack conceded.

"Good, I will get Sun to come watch Kate while we are gone and you go gather your things, we can leave within the hour," Sayid said.

Jack turned quickly, looking Sayid directly in the eyes, "No, I'm afraid you have misunderstood me. I will support your decision to make this journey and won't try to stop you, but I will not be joining you. Kate is ill, very ill and she needs someone with medical knowledge to look out for her right now."

"But Jack, you are our leader, we need a third person. We need you to join us on this trek." Sayid implored.

Jack simply shook his head, "Kate is sick, she needs me and I cannot leave her right now, not for a pow wow on our problems, not for a hike into the heart of darkness, not for answers, not for a nap, I cannot leave her. She is my priority right now. I have to stay here. You can find someone else to go with you." With that, Jack turned and once again climbed into the bed with Kate, who had remained sleeping throughout the heated discussion.

Sayid and Ana Lucia exchanged a look but then quietly exited the bedroom closing the door behind them. They continued outside and walked back to the beach, discussing Henry and Jack and the plan to find the balloon. As they approached the beach, they ran into Charlie who was walking through the jungle. They immediately stopped their conversation, hoping that Charlie had not overheard them.

"Hello mates, how's it going?" Charlie greeted them

"Good afternoon Charlie, where are you headed?" Sayid asked, hoping he would not say the hatch.

"Oh, I was just off to gather some fruit, hoping for a few moments away from the scorning looks of the rest of the camp. Let's all hate Charlie, the baby napper, crazy drug addicted Charlie, never good for anything except causing problems. Well I'm bloody not a baby napper. I just wanted Aaron to be safe!" Charlie ranted.

Sayid and Ana Lucia were a bit taken aback by his outburst. Everyone knew Charlie was a bit volatile recently, especially after facing Claire's rejection along with dealing with the lingering effects of heroine withdrawal. Everyone tried to tip toe around him and not set him off.

"Woah man, we were just making small talk, don't flip out." Ana Lucia said in response to the outburst.

"Sorry, sorry, didn't mean to freak out. Where are you two headed? Coming from the hatch?" Charlie inquired

"Yes, we just left the hatch and are about to head back to the beach," Sayid told him.

"Oh, were you with the prisoner you have locked up down there?" Charlie asked as if it were nothing

Sayid and Ana Lucia both gasped, trying to regain control of their facial expressions.

"How did you know that?" Sayid demanded

"I just know. I'm not as out of it as everyone thinks."

"Well Charlie, since you already know about him then perhaps you would like to join us on a trek to discover who exactly Henry Gale is?"

Charlie agreed and the three of them set off into the jungle, with Sayid and Ana Lucia filling Charlie in on what they already knew and what they were looking for.

Meanwhile, back in the hatch, Jack continued to lay with Kate until she awoke sometime later.

Kate awoke feeling much better than she had earlier. Actually, she was feeling much better than she had in days. She felt someone's arms wrapped around her and she turned to see Jack lying in bed behind her, holding her. Kate couldn't help but smile at that. The last clear memory she had was that she and Jack were not getting along well. Everything after her hike with Claire was a little blurry but she knew that Jack had been with her, helping her through it all. She knew he had been there or else she wouldn't still be alive right now. When he felt her move, Jack's eyes popped opened and he saw her smiling at him.

"Kate," Jack said with excitement in his voice. He could tell that her eyes were looking more coherent than the last few times he had seen her awake.

"Hey Jack, what's going on? What happened? I don't really remember much."

"You've been sick Kate, you have malaria. You've had a really high fever and some other pretty intense symptoms for the last few days. But you don't need to worry, I'm taking care of you, you're going to be just fine. How are you feeling right now?" Jack reached up to feel her forehead, noticing that her fever had dropped significantly.

"I feel groggy, confused and my head kinda hurts but I think feel better than I have recently."

"Well you are definitely looking better, sounding more lucid as well. Those are all good signs. Do you think you could eat something? It's been a few days since you've had any food and you need to eat to keep your strength up."

"I feel a little nauseous but I could maybe eat a little." Kate rolled over and sat up on the bed but immediately fell back against Jack as a wave of dizziness overtook her.

"Woah, you're ok, take it easy. You've been laying down for a while and you've had some pretty intense headaches. You're also pretty dehydrated because you haven't been able to keep much water down, so we gotta take it slow. You're going to have to let me help you ok?"

"Ok," Kate agreed without any argument. Truth was that she wasn't feeling very much like helping herself at all at the moment.

Jack helped her sit up and he kept his arms around her, holding her up as the dizziness passed. "Would you like me to take you out into the main room while I get you something to eat? Or would you rather stay in bed and have breakfast in bed?" Jack asked her with a smile.

"I want to join you; I need to get out of this room. Even though my memory is hazy, I just instinctively know I have been in here for way too long." Jack couldn't help but chuckle at this. In the short time he had known Kate the one thing he knew without any doubt was that Kate had a restless spirit. Jack reached down and grabbed Kate behind her knees and her back and carried her out into the main room. Kate didn't even protest at being carried, she knew she was too weak to walk. Jack laid her down on the sofa and then moved into the kitchen to find something for her to eat. Locke was in room and greeted Jack and Kate as they entered.

"Good to see you looking better Kate," Locke said, "But Jack, I must say I am disappointed that you refused to go with Ana Lucia and Sayid. They needed you and you let them down."

"I don't care John, I did what I had to do and I am certain that I made the right decision," Jack responded with an intense forcefulness and confidence. Kate was taken aback, she had no clue what they were talking about but she had seen Jack second guess almost every decision he had made since they landed on the island, but whatever decision John was referring to, Jack was obviously not second guessing.

John then walked over to the armory, opened the door and slipped a plate of food inside before closing the door back once again. He then turned to Jack and said, "I need some fresh air, I trust the you can handle things down here for a few minutes." He then turned and exited the hatch.

Kate was getting more confused by the minute. As soon as John left, Jack walked over to her and handed her a plate with a peanut butter sandwich. She took it and then looked at Jack, "What is going on? Jack please tell me."

Jack sighed and sat down beside Kate. He then proceeded to tell Kate about Henry Gale, about how he had come to be with them and how Sayid and Ana Lucia had gone to find out if his story was true. Kate was truly shocked and somewhat hurt that Jack had felt the need to keep this from her, even before she got sick.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Jack stood up and began pacing around the small room. "We didn't tell anyone Kate. At least, I didn't. I didn't want people to panic. You saw what happened with Ethan and with the black smoke. You saw how terrified the tail survivors were. I didn't want people panicking, make poor decisions. I wasn't planning to keep him here forever and I certainly wasn't planning to torture answers out of him, I learned my lesson with that already, but it all just happened and then you were sick and things just got out of hand."

Kate could tell that Jack was truly struggling with this. But still, she was hurt that he hadn't even confided in her about all of this. "But why didn't you tell me? I thought…I thought you knew that you can confide in me. I thought you trusted me," Kate said with a dejected tone.

Jack stopped pacing and looked Kate in the eye, "I do trust you Kate, more than anyone on this island, probably more than anyone I've ever met."

Kate could see the sincerity in his eyes and knew that he meant what he was saying. At that moment, a little bit of the weight on Kate's shoulders lifted. "Then why didn't you tell me?"

Jack sighed and began pacing again. "Because it was dangerous! We don't know who he is, where he came from, or what he is capable of! I couldn't have you with him knowing it wasn't safe! When we went to look for Walt and they brought you out with a bag over your head and a gun to your throat…Kate, I thought I was going to throw up. I've never been so scared. I was too scared to do anything and that almost cost you your life! After seeing that, I could never…NEVER put you in a situation to be in that kind of danger again! Locke locked Ana Lucia in the armory with him! What if he had done that you you? Don't you understand? I didn't tell you because I was trying to take care of you. You mean too much to me to let something happen to you." Jack continued to pace, getting more and more agitated as he was talking.

His speech caught Kate off guard. She wasn't expecting him to say he cared about her. She was sure that she had messed up any chance she had to be an important part of the life of Jack Shepard when she kissed him and ran and then followed him into the jungle only to be captured.

"Did you just say you cared about me?" Kate asked in a small voice

Jack took a breath and realized all that he had just confessed to her. There was no backing out now. "Yes Kate, I said that I care about you and I meant it. I do care about you and I want to see you safe and healthy. That's the most important thing to me right now."

Upon hearing this, tears began to fall down Kate's face. "Jack, it's been a long time since someone has cared for me. Even my own parents didn't care about me. You are a great man and you deserve the world and yet here you are, caring about a fugitive, a murderer, someone with no hope of a future."

"Kate, you have hope of a future. I promise, there is always hope. I couldn't stand to see you lose hope. That would be as bad as seeing you in physical danger. You are a great person yourself, beneath your tough exterior, you are warm and more caring than anyone I've ever known. You are always willing to put your own needs aside to help someone else. Kate, there is nothing about you to make me not care. Anyone with as much goodness as you, has hope of a future."

Kate was full blown sobbing at this point. Jack walked over and took her in his arms and held her as she cried. "Oh Jack, I don't know what to say, except that I care about you too. I care about you so much and I am so sorry that I ran before and that I that followed you. I'm sorry I messed things up."

"Shh, Kate, it's ok now, it's all ok. We'll deal with everything and from now on, we will be honest with each other, ok?"

Kate sniffled and then agreed. She looked at Jack and spoke, "Ok, well if we are going to be honest, what was John talking about earlier? What decision is he upset about?"

Jack was hoping that he wouldn't have to explain that to her, but he should have known that she would pick up on it, even in her disoriented state. "Sayid and Ana Lucia went out to look for Henry Gale's supposed hot air balloon. They wanted me to go along with them, though I'm not entirely sure why. Perhaps they wanted someone to make sure that the two of them didn't kill each other, I'm not sure. But I couldn't go. I promised you that I wouldn't leave you alone and I wasn't about to break that promise. I'm not leaving you Kate, not while you are sick and even once you're better you're going to be stuck with me. I care about everyone here but since I saw you get sick, I know that you are my priority, I have to make sure you are ok before I can worry about anything else."

Kate was once again overwhelmed by her own feelings and by the intensity of Jack's feelings for her. She realized that he had refused to do something to help the group, refused to do something to help them find answers, refused to do something to a fix problem and be a leader like he was compulsively drawn to do and instead had chosen to do something to keep her safe and happy. He had put her ahead of everyone else. Kate suddenly realized that no one in her life had ever done that before, not her mother, definitely not her father, not her step father or Tom, not Sawyer. But Jack had. Jack had put her first, above everything else. Despite all of the insanity and dangers on the island, despite her illness, Kate suddenly felt safer than she ever had in her entire life.


	6. An Unwise Decision

_Trying to line up episodes but that's a lot harder than I initially thought. But anyway, a lot of this is taken straight out of Lost season 2_

* * *

After confessing their feelings for each other, Jack and Kate sat together on the couch for a while, simply enjoying each other's company, Jack merely enjoying seeing Kate awake and looking better. As much as it pleased Jack to see her looking so much better, it also concerned him, knowing that malaria often comes in bursts, making its victims feel perfectly normal for a while before striking them down once again. Eventually Jack's need to take care of Kate came to the front of his mind and he once again slipped into his role as her doctor.

"Kate, as much as I wish you could take what I am about to say as a follow up to our confessions just now, it really isn't meant that way, but I need to examine you now," Jack said with a slight smirk.

"Jack Shepard! Get your mind out of the gutter! But uh…do I need to take my clothes off?" Kate asked with a flirtatious smile

Jack just gaped at her for moment, letting the idea sit in his head for moment before he responded, "Not this time Kate, but I promise, when you are well, there will come a time where my examination of you will definitely involve you taking your clothes off."

Kate blushed and moved to head back into the bedroom, Jack following her. As soon as they walked into the bedroom, Jack was all business, realizing that it was going to be difficult for him to be strictly professional where Kate was involved now but knowing that she did in fact need a doctor at the moment.

"So how are you feeling now Kate? Physically?"

"I have a never ending headache and overwhelming tiredness but I feel so much better than before."

Jack nodded, acknowledging her answer before proceeding, "Are you having any trouble breathing?"

Kate shook her head

"What about nausea?" Jack asked

"Nope, not today anyway," Kate answered.

"Ok, that's good, what about your vision, any problems there?"

"No, I can see fine. Are these things that I should be worried about Jack?" Kate asked, getting a little paranoid about the things Jack was asking about.

"These are worst case scenarios Kate. I don't think we have anything to worry about but if you do experience trouble breathing, severe headache, blurry vision, weakness, or severe nausea, you need to let me know right away. I know you don't like to admit when you aren't feeling well but Kate, I'm serious about this." Jack told her while looking her straight in the eye.

"Ok Jack, I promise. You're kinda scaring me here," Kate responded

Jack reached out to feel the glands under her neck as he spoke to her, "Kate I'm sorry, I don't mean to scare you, I just want to make sure I'm doing all I can to help you. And besides, we all know my bedside manner is a little lacking," Jack chuckled

"Ok Jack, I know and actually, I think you have a pretty stellar bedside manner. /but I'd think even better of it if you let me take a walk. I'm going crazy here," Kate pleaded with Jack as he checked her pulse.

"Kate, I don't know if that is such a good idea, I know you feel better now, but malaria is an odd thing. It comes and goes in spurts. You feel better but then suddenly it'll be back and hit you out of nowhere. The last thing I want to do is scare you, but I want to be honest with you here and the truth is that is probably not over yet."

"So then we should take a walk while I'm feeling better. We don't have to go far but Jack I need to know that the world is still out there. I need to see the sky and the trees. Please Jack, you'll be with me if anything does happen." Kate was full on begging now; giving Jack the saddest face she could muster.

Jack simply could not resist her begging. Even though he knew that it was probably not a good plan, he couldn't say no to her request. In the back of his mind, Jack suddenly realized why doctors weren't supposed to treat their own loved ones, because they think about making them happy and not just making them healthy. "Ok, Kate, we'll go but not far. We can walk down to the beach and then come back. And if you feel the slightest bit worse than you do now, you tell me immediately. Promise me or we aren't going."

"I promise!" Kate said brightly as she rose from the bed.

Jack gathered a few medical supplies in his bag, just in case, and he and Kate walked out into the main room of the hatch, finding Locke reading by the computer. Jack didn't want to even acknowledge his existence but knew he needed to keep peace as best he could. "John, we're going for a short walk. If you need anything, I'll be at the beach, are you okay here?"

"Of course Jack, I've got a handle on everything," Locke replied

"I'm sure you do," Jack mumbled, too low for Locke to hear. He then took Kate's hand and the two of them exited the hatch together, leaving Locke and Henry Gale as its only occupants.

Jack and Kate followed the path down to the beach, stopping often to allow Kate to rest due to her weakness. Jack was quite pleased with how well she was doing at the moment. They maintained conversation on the walk, each learning new things about the other. They reached the beach without any major incident. Upon seeing Jack and Kate emerge from the jungle, several people walked over to greet them. They talked to the group for a few minutes before moving off to sit by the beach. Jack led Kate to sit down and then went to go check on Claire and Aaron since it had only been a few days since Aaron had been sick and Jack had been preoccupied with Kate. After Jack walked away, Sun came to sit beside Kate.

"Hello Kate, you are looking better than the last time I saw you. It is good to see you again."

Kate looked up at who had joined her and smiled. She and Sun had developed a rather deep friendship in their time on the island, mostly through gardening. "Hi Sun! It's good to see you too! And thank you for helping me, Jack told me."

"You are welcome Kate," Sun replied.

Kate heard Sun gasped and looked over at her, noticing that she looked a little green. "Oh Sun, you're not sick too are you? You don't look so good, should I get Jack?"

"No! I mean, I am fine, no reason to get Jack. I am not sick. It is, just, you must not tell anyone what I am about to tell you," Sun said, looking Kate straight in the eyes, begging her to consent.

"Of course Sun, you know you can trust me, what's wrong?"

"I am not sure, but I think I am pregnant," Sun confessed

"Sun! Congratulations, I suppose?" Kate inquired

"I would be excited, I think. Sawyer gave me a pregnancy test but I have not taken it yet."

"Would you like me to wait with you?" Kate asked

"Would you?"

"Of course. You go do what's necessary and come back and we will wait together."

Sun then got up and went into the jungle, returning a few minutes later. The two women sat together in silence, waiting for the results. When the time was up, Sun picked up the test and realized that she had gotten a positive result. "Do you think this is accurate?" Sun asked

"I'm not sure, but I know who would know," Kate implored, asking Sun for permission to tell Jack. Sun nodded, knowing that the doctor could help her more than anyone right now. Before either of them could move to get him, Jack approached the two of them. "Hello Sun," he greeted

Both women looked up at him and then back at each other. Jack could see the guilt written on their faces, knowing immediately that something was up. "Okay, what's going on?" Jack asked

Sun held up the pregnancy test, allowing Jack to see that it was positive. "How accurate is this?" She asked

Jack was taken aback for moment, realizing that on top of everything else going on, the island had just acquired another pregnant woman. "It's pretty accurate, You might get a false negative in the first week, but a positive is a positive. Congratulations Sun."

"Please Jack, you can't tell anyone," Sun begged

"Don't worry Sun, doctor patient confidentiality, remember?" Jack replied with a smile

With that, Sun took her leave from the other two, leaving Jack and Kate sitting together on the beach. Jack could tell that Kate was beginning to get tired and decided that it would be best to allow her time to rest before making the walk back to the hatch.

"Hey, how about we go lay down in my tent for a while? Nothing much happening out here right now anyway, besides a poker game between Sawyer and Hurley, which I'll admit is quite the sight, but I think you could do with a nap." Jack suggested

"Actually, a nap sounds pretty good. I'm very tired all of the sudden and my headache has gotten a bit worse."

"Thank you for telling me that Kate," Jack said sincerely. He then helped her to stand and they walked toward his tent. When they arrived he helped her to lay down and he climbed onto the makeshift bed behind her, both of them falling asleep within minutes.

Sometime later, Jack was awoken by what sounded like someone choking. He sat up immediately and realized that the choking sound was coming from Kate, who was awake and looking at him with terrified eyes.

"Jack…I…I…can…can't…bre…breathe" Kate squeaked out

Jack saw her struggling to breathe and immediately began to panic. He reached over and grabbed her, helping her into a sitting position. Jack noticed that helped her a little bit but not nearly enough. In that moment, Jack was cursing himself for listening to Kate's desire to take a walk. Kate reached out her hand, groping in a blind panic for Jack's hand. He immediately took her hand and sat her back against his chest. Hearing Kate wheeze and struggle to breathe was almost sending him into a panic attack.

"Jack…Jack…please…I'm…I'm so…sca…scared…hhhelp…me." Kate said in a heartbreaking voice.


	7. Helpless

Hearing Kate's heart wrenching cries for his help nearly ripped Jack's heart right out of his chest. He took a moment, counted to five and reigned his fear in. "Kate, I've got you, it's going to be ok, I promise." Jack was whispering words to Kate, trying to calm her down and praying that his words were true. Outside the tent he could make out the forms of Sawyer and Hurley, still engaged in their poker game. As loudly as he could, he called out to them.

"Sawyer! Hurley!"

"What does that Jackass want now?" Sawyer griped as he stood from his game with Hurley and the two of them made their way to Jack's tent. As they got closer however, both Hurley and Sawyer could tell that something was horribly wrong. The sound of Kate wheezing and struggling to breathe sounded oddly like the time after they first crashed when Shannon was having an asthma attack. Jack was holding her, trying to soothe her but it didn't seem to be helping.

"What the hell happened doc?"

"She's got fluid building up in her lungs, it's making it difficult for her to breath. We have to do something or she could go into respiratory failure."

"What can we do?"

"There is an oxygen tank and mask in the hatch. I need you to go find it and set it up in the bedroom. Hurley, I need you to find Sun and ask her if she can make more of the eucalyptus mixture she made to help Shannon and once she's made it, bring it straight to the hatch. Do you understand?"

Both men just stood, staring at the scene before them, both of them too frightened to move until Jack shouted at them, "If you want to help her, move!"

Hurley and Sawyer then ran off to take care of the tasks that Jack had assigned each of them.

In the meantime, Jack continued to try to calm Kate down, hoping to get her breathing stable enough to move her to the hatch. He moved from his position behind her until he was kneeling in front of her, holding both of her hands in his. He took one of her hands and placed it on his chest.

"Kate, I need you to listen to me, are you listening?" When she made no sign to indicate that she was, he reached up to her face and turned her head so that she was looking into his eyes. "Kate, do you trust me?"

Kate was struggling to breathe too much to voice her answer but she had no doubts as to what her answer was. She gave a short nod of her head, continuing to look into his eyes.

"Ok, that's good. I promise you everything is going to be ok, but I need you to do what I say ok?" Kate nodded again.

"Ok, I know it's hard to breathe, but the less you panic, the easier it will be, so we need to slow your breathing down. I want you to feel my chest, feel the rhythm of my breathing. I want you to try to match that rhythm ok? Breathe in through your nose, like that, good! Now try again."

Kate felt her hand on Jack's chest and felt the rhythm of his breathing. She let the feel of his chest rising and falling beneath her hand and the sound of his voice soothe her. It was true, she did trust him and she knew that he would fix this, whatever it was. She was still struggling to catch her breath but the tightness in her lungs was dissipating somewhat.

As soon as Jack was sure that she had calmed somewhat and was not in immediate danger of respiratory failure, he picked her up in his arms and began to carry her back to the hatch. Jack couldn't help but be disappointed that their walk back had turned out to be nothing like their walk to the beach. He tried to keep her head lifted up, knowing that would help the fluid drain out of her lungs but even with his efforts, she still continued to break out in labored coughing spells every couple of minutes.

"Just keep breathing Kate; everything is going to be alright. This is just a complication from the malaria."

Kate found solace in his words and in being in his arms but she was beginning to feel dizzy and lightheaded from the lack of oxygen getting to her brain. She was wheezing and coughing and trying desperately to remember what Jack had told about not panicking but it was getting more difficult with each passing second. The coughing spells were coming more frequently now and Jack noticed as well.

"Jack…I'm…so…dizzy…I see…black…spots…can't…breathe…" Kate wheezed out as tears began to leak out of her eyes. Jack knew that she would probably pass out by listening to her difficulty breathing but he was hoping he could make it back to the hatch before it got that bad.

"It's ok Kate, we'll be at the hatch in just a minute and then we'll get you oxygen and some medicine to help. Everything will be fine. Are you having any other symptoms right now?"

Kate eyes were already drifting shut, the dizziness making the nausea from earlier return in full force, along with her headache.

"Head hurts…sick" was that only response Kate could manage to force out. She let her eyes slide shut then, hoping to block out the dizziness.

Just as her eyes fluttered closed, Jack reached the door of the hatch and pushed it open rushing inside. As soon as he stepped inside, he knew something was off. Things were overturned and there was a general sense of chaos. When Jack walked into the computer room on his way to the bedroom, he found Locke laying on the floor, with deep gauges in his leg with Sawyer kneeling next to him trying to help.

"What's going on?" Jack asked anyone who was listening

Sawyer looked up and replied, "I got here and had to pry to door offa him, had 'em pinned down, crushing his leg and Charles Manson in there was standing here watching. Got him locked back up and got that oxygen ready for ya. You take care a Freckles, I'll watch Johnny boy til you can help 'em."

In that moment, Jack was extremely grateful for Sawyer's presence, and for his understanding that helping Kate was his main priority. Jack carried Kate into the bedroom and sat her on the bed. He grabbed the oxygen mask and placed in over her face before turning to rummage through his medical supplies. Jack was very grateful in that moment that altitude is often a cause of pulmonary edema and as such, most airplane first aid kits came with some type of medicine designed to treat it and Oceanic 815 was no exception. He located the medicine and then helped Kate to swallow the pills. Jack then climbed into bed with Kate, propping her up against his chest. He needed to keep her sitting up right to prevent further fluid from accumulating in her lungs. Jack had known that she was better yet even before they went down to the beach. He had hoped that she wouldn't have this kind of complications though. If they were back in the real world, she would be in a hospital, getting drugs and fluids continuously through an IV and probably intubated after experiencing this level of breathing difficulty. Jack wished he had the right equipment and drugs to help her properly. He was terrified that she would never get better without that. All he could now was treat the symptoms that showed themselves, as they came up and even then there was little he could do. Jack did not like feeling helpless. He needed to be able to fix things and it was killing him to know that the most he could for Kate right now was hold her and keep her from panicking. She was in pain and scared and he just had to hope that it would pass.

Jack was pulled out of his musings when he felt a hand reach up to move the oxygen mask. He gently grabbed her wrist and moved it back down to her side.

"Oh no, you can't take that off just yet. It's helping you to breathe easier. Can you feel it working?' He asked her

She turned her head to look at him and attempted to take a deep breath. Her breathing was still heavy and labored but it was nothing like it had been when he was carrying her back. She simply nodded her head before laying her head back against Jack's chest. Then she suddenly bolted up, moved the mask, and leaned over the side of the bed and vomited. Jack jumped up and got a cool cloth to wash her face with, knowing he would clean up the mess after she had fallen asleep again.

Kate fell back against the bed, feeling completely drained. She'd been sure she knew what true misery was before she came to island. She thought her life had been filled with misery but now she was thinking that she had never known misery before this. This was a level of wretchedness she had never experienced before. She looked up at Jack with a look begging him to help her. The helplessness Jack was feeling before was nothing compared to what he felt now. He would do anything, absolutely anything to take her pain away. The tormented look in her eyes was enough to bring him to his knees. She was openly crying though he wasn't sure she was even aware of it. He took her hand and leaned down and kissed her forehead. He could tell that the fever had taken hold of her again. She was once again in the throes of full blown malaria.

"Shh, Kate, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I'll fix this. I'll make it stop hurting, I promise," he whispered in her ear as he brushed her tears away. He quickly returned the oxygen mask to her face. He then turned to his bag and pulled out a vile and syringe, deciding to give her a sedative, something he had found amongst Desmond medical supplies in the hatch.

"Kate, I'm going to give you an injection now. It'll make you sleepy so don't fight it. It'll help the pain and hopefully when you wake up you'll feel better again," Jack explained to her. He then tied a piece of fabric around her arm and prepared the medicine. "Ok, you'll feel a little pinch," he warned before sliding the needle into her arm. Kate was already hurting so much that she didn't even feel the small prick. Jack got rid of the needle and then turned back to Kate, moving her hair out of her face. He could still see the tormented look in her eyes and for the first time since he had known Kate, he saw pure fear in her eyes as well.

"Kate, do you remember the story I told you the first day we met? When you stitching me up on the beach?"

She smiled weakly at the memory and softly replied, "About your first solo procedure in residency, angel hair pasta."

Jack was touched that she remembered that story. "Remember how I told you about letting the fear in, but only for five seconds?"

She nodded, remembering the times that the technique he taught her had helped her on this island.

"Ok then, let's do that right now. Let's let the fear in for five seconds and then put it away, ok?" Jack asked her

She smiled and said "One," as she allowed the fear to paralyze her.

Jack followed with "Two," while letting all of the possible worst case scenarios play through his mind.

They finished together, "Three, Four, Five"

When they reached five, they both took a deep breath and pushed the fears into the farthest corners of their minds.

At this point, Jack could see Kate's eyes beginning to droop. He kissed her again and whispered, "Sleep now, my beautiful Kate," as she fell asleep.

Jack rose, with one last look at the sleeping Kate before moving out into the next room to deal with whatever disaster Locke had waiting for him.


	8. Surprises

**A little different chapter here, not so much Jate :( but there is Jack interaction with someone else :) **

**Too bad Jack (or Lost) isn't mine :(  
**

* * *

Jack left Kate sleeping in the bedroom and walked out into the main room to find Sawyer putting ice on Locke's very swollen and bruised leg.

"What happened?" he inquired

"I don't know, something went wrong and these heavy steel doors dropped from the ceiling, locking me and Henry in, when I tried to stop it, my leg got caught underneath one of the doors. Henry saved me." Locke replied, with an obvious look of pain.

"What do you mean Henry saved you?"

"When the doors came down, the armory opened. He tried to get me out and when he couldn't, he took care of the button until the doors rose again."

Jack was very confused upon hearing this. He had always found the hatch to be somewhat baffling. A fully functioning underground bunker with the button that must be pushed every one hundred and eight minutes or else the world would end seemed a little ludicrous to him. But now this too? As well as Henry Gale, the potential intruder, helping Locke? None of it seemed to make any sense to Jack. However, Jack had more pressing matters weighing on his mind than the general insanity of the island. Jack walked over and began examining Locke's leg.

"Is it broken doc?" Sawyer asked

"Without an X-ray, any equipment, it's hard to tell, all I've got is my best guess."

"And what does your best guess say?"

"It's broken, probably a hairline fracture. You're going to have to stay off of it for a few weeks, we have that wheel chair we took from the wreckage."

"NO! No wheelchair!" Locke adamantly protested

"Hey doc, I think there was a pair of crutches we took before we burned the fuselage, down at the beach." Sawyer offered

"Yeah, that would work, otherwise, just keep ice on it to keep the swelling down. We'll need to make a splint after you've ice it for a while. Just stay here for a while and take it easy." Jack instructed

After taking care of Sawyer, Jack went back into the bedroom and sat with Kate while she slept. Jack could not shake the image of her begging him to help her, her trying desperately to breathe and nearly failing. Jack spent his whole life in Los Angeles. He was a spinal surgeon. Malaria was not something he had much experience with treating. He knew it would come and go but he had no idea it would come back so much worse. He was now terrified that instead of getting better, she was going to get worse. And if she got any worse, he wasn't sure if there was anything he would be able to do for her. He knew though that there was no way he could just sit by and watch her die. Jack was beginning to realize that he felt more for Kate than he had ever felt for anyone in his life, more than Sarah even. She owned his heart and if she died, she would take it with her.

"Ok Jack, you can't let your thoughts get so dark," he said to himself

"That's right Jack, you can't let your thoughts linger in dark places."

Jack looked up at the sound of the voice and saw Claire standing there, holding a bowl of mango.

"Hey Claire," Jack greeted

"Hey Jack, how is she doing?" Claire asked as she walked into the bedroom and sat down by Jack

"Honestly Claire, I just don't know. She was doing better and then she took a pretty serious turn for the worse. She's been having trouble breathing." Jack responded with a shake of his head

"Well, I'm sure she will be fine. You are a great doctor and I know you'll take care of her. Here, I brought you something to eat," she said as she handed him the fruit.

"Thanks Claire, I appreciate your faith in me."

"Jack, you've never given any of us a reason not to have faith in you. You do so much for all of us. I know Aaron and I wouldn't have made it this long here without you. Jack, I owe you my son's life and my own. I was thinking that maybe when we get back to the real world, I'll need to give him a middle name. What do you think about Jack? Aaron Jack Littleton? I think it sounds nice." Claire looked up at Jack with a smile.

Jack looked up at her and had to fight back tears, "Claire, you want to name your son after me? I don't know what to say, I'd be honored to share my name with him." Jack was stunned that someone would want to name their child after him. He always felt like such a failure and here was someone telling him that not only was he not a failure but in fact he had done something good for someone.

"You know, I never had much in the way of family. My mom had an affair with some guy, an American doctor actually, and she got knocked up. That's how I got here. I never met the guy though. No dad, no siblings, just me and my mom. Some of the kids at school used to tease me relentlessly because I didn't have a dad. I used to dream of what it would be like to have an older brother to protect me from them, to beat up those snotty kids. I mean, I dreamed of what my dad was like too, my mom used to tell some things about him, that he had another family in Los Angeles and that he was there taking care of them and that he had a really important job, I think he was a chief of surgery or something. Anyway, I imagined my dad, but it was my imaginary big brother that always got me through those worst times. My imagined big brother was a lot like you Jack. Protective, caring, willing to do anything to help those he cared about. I just thought you should know Jack. You're someone I look up to, we all do."

Jack had no idea how to respond to Claire. By this point, the tears were slowly leaking out of his eyes. He was quickly developing a deeper bond with the young Australian mother. He had always felt very protective of her, ever since he saw her having contractions just moments after the crash. And watching her grow and bond with her son had been one of the bright spots of life on the island. However, he had no idea that she looked up to him and respected him like a long lost big brother.

"You know, I had a mom and a dad but still wouldn't say I had much in the way of family. My mom was always kind of cold and distant; we never really got along well. And my dad, well that's a whole different matter entirely. We had a pretty big falling out just before he died. He was the chief of surgery…" Jack trailed off as a thought occurred to him.

"Did you say that your father was the chief of surgery at a hospital in Los Angeles?" He asked her

"Yeah, he was, I'm pretty sure he was." She answered

"Do you know what his name was, I know most of the big time doctors in the area, I might know him?"

"My mom would never tell me his last name, I think she was afraid I would go looking for him one day, and honestly, I probably would have. But she always called him Christian."

Jack's face turned a ghostly pale white upon hearing that Claire's father's name was Christian. His name was Christian; he was the chief of surgery in a Los Angeles hospital. Jack knew his father had a penitent for drinking and with drinking usually came some random woman. Though Jack never really got along with his mother, he had always been furious with his father for constantly hurting her like that. Suddenly Jack remembered a time when he was in fourth grade and his father went away on an extended business trip. He was gone for over a month. When he asked his mother where his father was, she had said that he was in Australia.

"Claire, how old are you?"

"I'm 22, why? Jack what's wrong; you look like you've just seen a ghost?"

Jack quickly did the math and realized the timing was right. Claire was just old enough to have been conceived during the month Jack's father had spent in Australia. Was that why he had returned to Australia in the end?

"Claire, my father's name was Christian. He was the chief of surgery in a Los Angeles hospital and he spent a month in Australia in 1982. Do you understand what I am saying?"

This news completely took Claire by surprise. What exactly was Jack trying to say? Their fathers had eerie similarities? Did Jack know her father? Wait…maybe…no…was Jack trying to say that their fathers were the same person? Was Jack her brother?

"What, Jack, I don't understand, what are you trying to tell me?"

"Claire, I think you are my sister," Jack said in awe.

"Jack, seriously? How is that even possible? The chances of this are so, so impossible! But then…" Claire began to wonder if maybe this was why the psychic she saw in Australia he demanded she be on this plane. Did he know that her brother would be on that plane and that he could be the person she had always dreamed of?

"Jack…you're my brother…you're the person I used to dream about…I spent so much of my life imagining an older brother because there really was one out there!" Claire exclaimed with an excited smile.

Jack wasn't sure what to make of this whole situation but he did know that having Claire as a sister wouldn't be a bad thing. "Claire, I can't believe this, it's insane, and if it's true, there is so much I need to tell you, so much you need to tell me. But Claire, even if it's not true, even if this is all a big mistake, I'll be your big brother. I'll make sure you and Aaron are taken care of, whether it's here on the island or when we get back to the real world. But, I hope it is true." Jack told her with complete sincerity.

"So do I jack, so do I," she said before jumping up to hug him.

Just as he stood to hug her back, he heard a moan coming from the bed. He looked over and noticed Kate beginning to shift and groan in her sleep.

"I have so many questions I want to ask you Jack, but I know you have a lot on your mind right now, so I'll just let you get back to taking care of her. But Jack, you should plan on setting aside a great deal of time for your little sister once the love of your life is healed," Claire said with a smile

"Don't worry Claire, as soon as Kate is well again, I promise we can have a sibling bonding session. And you're right; she is the love of my life." Jack whispered to Claire before turning to tend to Kate.

Claire looked over at Jack as he began to wash Kate's face with a cool cloth and couldn't help but smile as she thought how lucky she was to have such a wonderful brother and how lucky her brother was to have found the love of his life, even if they were all living in the most primitive of conditions in the middle of a dangerous, mysterious, craphole island.


	9. In The Dark

Jack's mind was in overdrive as he sat by Kate's bedside. He was having trouble wrapping his mind around that information he had just received. He most likely had a little sister. And somehow that little sister had ended up stranded on a mysterious tropical island with him after a plane crash. And now not only did he possibly gain a sister, but a nephew as well. Jack was beginning to realize just how little he knew about his father. Jack was beginning to feel a burning desire to know and understand the man who was Christian Shepard. Jack knew that he had a long way to go to get over all of the guilt and disappointment he felt from his relationship with his father but maybe finding Claire and Aaron would be a step toward closure for him.

Jack was pulled out of his musings by a change in Kate's breathing pattern. Her breathing began to quicken, indicating she was on the verge of regaining consciousness. Jack was still absolutely terrified for her, knowing that the disease ravaging her tiny body was nowhere near finished with her and also knowing that she couldn't take much more before it would be too much. As things stood at the moment, she would be extremely fortunate to escape this without some form of brain damage from the incredibly high fever she was suffering from sporadically.

Feeling her hand stir in his, he leaned over her and began to talk to her. "Hey Kate, I need you to wake up now, ok? You've been sleeping for a while; wake up so you can have some water."

Kate slowly opened her eyes at the sound of his voice. She was extremely confused. All she was aware of at the moment was that everything hurt, especially her head and chest, and that Jack was with her. Hearing his voice calmed her down despite the searing pain in her head.

"Jack? What…?" Kate's questioned died off as she tried to get up.

Jack gently pushed her shoulders back down onto the pillow, not about to let her get out of bed. "Kate, sweetheart, we've talked about this; you need to stay in bed right now. You need to rest so that you can get well sooner." Jack spoke softly to her, hoping to calm her down.

"Rest? Get well? Jack I don't understand, what's going on? Where are we?"

"Kate, you collapsed at the beach, you were having trouble breathing and so I brought you back to the hatch, don't you remember?"

"No…why did I collapse? I'm confused."

Jack was beginning to get concerned by Kate's confusion. She seemed very groggy and slow to comprehend anything at the moment.

"Kate, what is the last thing you remember?"

"I went on a hike with Claire…oh no, you weren't supposed to know about that…please don't be mad"

Jack was definitely freaking out now. She had no memory of her entire illness. He was terrified that this was due to her struggles with high fever.

"Kate, I'm not mad, don't worry about that ok? Can you tell me how you are feeling?"

"I feel confused, I don't understand, did something happen on the hike? Why am I in the Hatch?"

"Kate, you're sick, you've been sick for quite a while now. You've had a pretty high fever and that's probably why you are having trouble remembering things right now but don't worry, it'll clear up for you soon, I'm sure. You were feeling better so we walked down to the beach but then you got sick again so I had to bring you back here to give you some medicine and help your breathing."

"Sick? What kind of sick? It must be pretty bad because I feel like I got hit by a truck."

"Kate, you have malaria, probably got it from a mosquito bite."

"Oh…"

Jack could see that Kate's energy was draining and he knew that she was going to slip back into unconsciousness soon. He reached for a glass of water on the bedside table and handed it to Kate. "I need for you to drink this before you go back to sleep."

Kate took the glass and took a slow sip. It seemed to take all of her energy just to hold the glass. Jack turned to his medicine stash while she was drinking to arrange the medicines he needed her to take. He was brought back to her side immediately however when he heard the sound of the water glass breaking. He turned to find Kate in the throws of a massive seizure. Her eyes were rolled back in her head and her body was shaking and flailing. Jack made sure that there was nothing in the vicinity that she could hit and then had no choice but to sit and wait for it to end. He had no drugs to stop seizures with him, no ability to run any tests to understand what was going on with her. Jack was once again feeling completely helpless. After what felt like a lifetime but was in actuality less than a minute, Kate's body stilled and the seizure ended. Jack immediately bent down to check her breathing, sighing in relief when he felt her breath on his face. He then moved to take her pulse, not surprised to find that her heart was racing. Jack then placed the thermometer in her mouth to see how high her fever had risen, hoping that her seizure was related to her fever and not the malaria affecting her brain. The thermometer beeped and indicated that her fever was at 104.9. Jack realized that he was going to have to put her in the shower again in an attempt to reduce the fever because he could not afford to let it get any higher.

Just as he was about to pick her up, she opened her eyes. Jack looked at her and noticed that her eyes had taken on a glassy, faraway look, as if she were not really seeing anything.

"Kate? Can you hear me?"

"Jack?" Kate replied in a voice that was barely audible. "My head hurts Jack."

"I know Kate, I know, I'm so sorry." Jack was once again stuck watching her suffer.

"No Jack, my head hurts! It hurts!" Her voice was gradually rising and Jack wasn't sure what to do.

"Kate, calm down and tell me what it feels like. I need you to tell me where your head hurts."

"Jack, please, please make it stop! I can't see! Where are you? Don't leave me alone! It hurts!"

Kate was fully screaming now with tears streaming down her face. Jack was crying as well. He had never experienced this kind of heartache before. He was a doctor, he should be able to help her but instead she just seemed to be getting worse.

He reached over and took her face in his hands, "Kate, please, I need you to calm down, please!"

Kate began to calm down slightly at the feeling of Jack so near. "Jack, my head is going to explode and I can't see anything! Everything is just black! And it hurts, I think I'm dying." The last part slipped out in a whisper but it was loud enough for Jack to hear.

"Kate, you are NOT dying, not here, not today, I won't let that happen, do you understand?" Jack was trying to remain calm but inside he was completely falling apart. He reached for a flashlight and shone it in her eyes and felt the panic rise when he got no response. She was honestly unable to see. His beautiful spirited Kate was blind. After checking her eyes, he moved to his medical bag and took out a syringe filled with morphine. He could not bear to see her in this kind of pain and so he would use part of his precious limited supply of the pain killer to help her.

"Kate, I know you are scared and I know you are hurting but I need you to trust me ok? I'm going to take care of you, I promise. I'll always take care of you. Right now, I'm going to give you a shot of morphine to stop the pain in your head. When it starts working, I'm going to take you into the bathroom and put you in a cold shower to bring your fever down. It'll be uncomfortable, we had to do it a few days ago, but it's the only way to get your fever down and it's too high to not do something. Hopefully once we get your temperature lower and your pain managed, your eyes will be ok." Jack then injected the morphine into her arm. He watched her face relax as the medicine began to take effect.

"We'll figure this out Kate, I promise you, no matter what; you're going to be ok. Even if I have to swim to Australia to get help, I'll do it." Jack was not one to make promises in vain and he knew that this was a promise above all else that he would keep or else he didn't think he would be able to go on. Jack bent down and picked her up just as her eyes were beginning to drift closed. He kissed her forehead and whispered in her ear, "I love you," before carrying her into the bathroom while praying that her loss of eyesight was just a temporary result of the fever and pain in her head and not permanent blindness.


	10. Independence

After Jack got Kate out of the shower and back into bed her fever was beginning to decline. He had been so completely terrified when Kate had been screaming in pain that he hadn't been able to stop and process what had happened. With Kate settled in bed, Jack finally sat down and took a deep breath for the first time in hours. The last time Kate was awake, she had been unable to see. As much as Jack did not want to admit that it was a possibility, he knew that she might never be able to see again.

Jack's thoughts were interrupted by Sawyer entering the bedroom.

"What's going on Doc, Plato out there said he heard Freckles screaming earlier? You ain't just letting her writhe in pain are ya?"

"Of course not Sawyer! I would never want to see anyone in the kind of pain she was in earlier, especially not her. I am doing everything I can for her Sawyer, EVERYTHING!" Jack shouted at Sawyer.

Sawyer realized that whatever was going on with Kate must be pretty awful to have Jack falling apart like this. "What''s going on Doc, is she dying?" Sawyer asked with complete sincerity and concern.

"NO! She is NOT dying!" Jack responded immediately.

"Ok…so then what's going on? Why was she screaming earlier?"

"Something is affecting her brain. I don't know if it's the fever or the malaria itself or a combination of both, but its taking a toll on her brain. I have no way of knowing what's really going on with no way to test her blood or get an MRI or anything remotely helpful. All I can do is beg God that it's the fever and not the malaria. She's confused, forgetting things. She seems to drift in and out of lucidity. She was screaming earlier because her head was hurting so much she thought she was dying. She actually thought she was dying Sawyer. I've never seen her look so scared, not even when we first encountered the monster. And to top that off, she can't see. She's writhing in pain, delirious, terrified, and she can't see and there is nothing I can do about it!" By the time Jack finished filling Sawyer in on what was happening, he had tears running down his cheeks again.

Sawyer couldn't believe what he was hearing, or seeing for that matter. Jack was sitting in front of him, completely breaking down because the situation with Kate was so dire.

"What do you mean she can't see?

"I mean just that Sawyer. The last time she woke up, she couldn't see anything, she's blind."

"Wait, what? She's blind? Forever?"

"I don't know, that's what I meant before. If this is the fever affecting her brain, there is a good chance that her eyesight will come back in the near future once her system is back to normal. But if it's the malaria causing this, then it's going to be permanent."

"So you're saying she might never see again?"

"It's possible. Hell, she might have permanent brain damage. The confusion and delirium, that might never go away either."

"What you mean is she may never be the woman we both fell in love with again?"

Jack took a deep breath, realizing that was exactly what he was saying. Despite his promise not to let her die, the Kate he loved could already be dead. "Yeah Sawyer, that's what I'm saying."

They sat in silence for a few moments, each taking a moment to study the frail, sick woman in the bed and to reflect on what she meant to each of them. They both knew that losing her, in any capacity, would be devastating.

"She's the most independent person I've ever met," Jack said after a few moments of silence.

"Well that's for damn sure," Sawyer agreed.

"We're on a deserted island."

"Well yeah Einstein, that ain't changed for some time now," Sawyer replied, looking at Jack in confusion.

"Sawyer, if she can't see, she can't be independent on this island. There's too much danger. She wouldn't even be able to walk around outside the hatch without someone with her. She could fall, step on a snake, run into that monster. She can't be independent anymore. And if the malaria doesn't kill her, that might," Jack sighed with defeat.

Sawyer didn't have anything to say in response to that because he knew that Jack was right. The need for independence was one of the traits he shared with Kate. They understood that about each other. It was part of the draw between them, even though he knew the draw between them would never be as strong as the draw between Kate and Jack. He knew that losing her independence would destroy her and that she would never recover.

"Well Doc, I guess you'll just have to teach her that she can be dependent on you."

"Thanks Sawyer." Jack realized that Sawyer was making a genuine effort to accept the growing relationship between himself and Kate. The two men were beginning to come to an understanding. The truth was, the two men were beginning to realize that the relationship they had was actually that of friends, despite the frequent outward displays of animosity.

"How are things out there?" Jack asked, realizing he had been so caught up in Kate for the last few hours, the rest of the island could have disappeared and he wouldn't have realized.

"Same ole same ole. Johnny boy's making friends with John Doe in the armory. Wonder woman and Saddam are taking turns trying to gently coax info out of him. Jaba and the VH1 has been are dying to know what's going on down here. Blondie and baby Huey and the rest back at the beach are doing just fine, living it up on the food that fell from the sky."

"Oh yeah, I'd forgotten about the food drop. Has that all been sorted through? Was there any medicine with it?" Jack asked, suddenly realizing there might something helpful to him in the unexplainable food bundles.

"I don't know Doc, I think Babar was handling that. I'll ask him when I get back to the beach though; make sure you get anything useful."

After another moment of silence Jack suddenly looked at Sawyer and said, "Claire is my sister."

"What? What the hell do you mean? We're all just one big island family of nut jobs? Panda Express and Jackie Chan are my mommy and daddy!" Sawyer was beginning to think the doctor really was losing his mind.

"No, I mean it, she's my half-sister. Turns out my father was having an affair in Australia a while back. We just put the pieces together earlier."

"Well now I feel like I oughta break out in a rousing rendition of It's a Small World After All."

"Spare me, please!" Jack begged teasingly.

"Well, I guess you got something good out this nightmare after all," Sawyer said in a rare moment of true earnestness.

Before Jack could respond, both men noticed Kate starting to rouse from her sleep. Jack immediately turned his full attention to her, hoping against all hope that things would be ok when she opened her eyes.

"Kate, can you hear me?"

"Mmm," she mumbled incoherently.

"Kate, wake up and open your eyes, come on now."

Kate stretched her arm above her head and then opened her eyes.

"Kate, I need you to answer me, can you see?"


	11. Black

"Jack? Where are you?" Kate softly whispered

Jack reached over and took her small hand in his much larger one, "Kate, I'm right here. Can you see me?"

Kate turned her head toward Jack and blinked several times before answering him. "No, Jack turn the lights on, it's too dark to see."

Jack and Sawyer exchanged worried glances, both of them aware that the lights in the bedroom were already giving off a warm glow.

Jack squeezed her hand and took a deep breath before answering her. "Kate, you've been really sick, do you remember?"

"Of course I remember Jack, I'll remember the excruciating pain in head for the rest of my life."

Jack and Sawyer both flinched at her recollection of the pain but also breathes a sigh of relief that her memory and brain function seemed intact.

"Ok, well do you remember having trouble with your eyes?"

"No, all I remember is the pain and being too hot."

"Well, you are smokin' hot Freckles," Sawyer quipped in an effort to ease the tension in the room.

Jack chose to ignore Sawyer ill-timed comment but Kate let out a small giggle.

"Kate, the lights are on in here, can you tell me what you see?" Jack asked, not wanting to erase the smile on her face but needing to know her medical condition.

"What do you mean the lights are on? It's totally dark, I can't even see my hand in front of my face," Kate stated, raising the hand wrapped in Jack's to her face to prove her point.

Jack pulled out his small flashlight and shined the light in each of Kate's eyes, becoming increasingly frightened when he noticed that her pupils failed to dilate when hit by the light.

"Kate, can you make out shapes or colors? Or is it total darkness?

"I…I can't see anything, just black."

Jack reached over and grabbed both of her hands in his as Sawyer stepped forward to place a hand on her leg.

"Jack? I can't see?" Kate questioned in a small, frightened voice.

Jack took a deep breath, knowing he was about to deliver a devastating blow to the woman he was in love with. "No, Kate, right now it seems as though you can't see."

As soon as the words left his mouth he could see Kate beginning to panic. Tears welled up in her sightless eyes and her breaths started coming in short pants.

"I…I'm…I'm blind….I…what….what am I going to do?" Kate wailed in between labored breaths.

At this Jack moved to sit on the bed with Kate, maneuvering his body behind hers so that she was sitting between his legs with her back to his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and began to whisper in her soothing words in her ear. Seeing them in such an intimate position, Sawyer felt like an intruder and with one last squeeze of her leg, he swiftly exited the room.

"Kate, calm down, don't panic. I know you're scared, that's ok but you have to keep breathing. Just keep breathing, that's all you need to do right now."

Despite his attempts to calm her, Kate continued to be lost in her panic. Finally Jack pressed her firmly against his chest. "Kate, breathe with me, feel my chest, match your breathing to mine. I know you can do it."

The motion of Jack's chest and the sound of his voice finally broke through to Kate in her panic and she began to catch her breath.

"Good, Kate, that's good, just breathe."

Although her breathing was returning to normal, she continued to sob within the confines of Jack's warm arms.

"Jack, what am I going to do?"

"Kate, you are asking the wrong question. It's not what are YOU going to do, it's what are WE going to do. I'm with you no matter what, you're not on your own. We'll figure this out."

"But Jack, I can't see…how can I do anything now? It's not like there are going to be braille directions on how to find food on this island." Kate said with a desperate tone to her voice.

"Kate, there may not be braille directions but there is an island full of people that you have helped out constantly since the day we crashed here and all of whom care for and are willing to do anything to help you in return for all you've done. We can be like your braille instructions. I'm not saying that it will be easy but we will figure it out." Jack didn't want to tell her that she was right, that she WAS going to struggle to survive without her sight on this crazy island. He also didn't want to tell her that there was no way he would be taking any chances with her. But he also wanted to convince her and himself as well that she would still be able to have some kind of life and independence.

"And besides that, I don't want to get your hopes up only to cause disappointment, but this might not be permanent. It could clear up eventually, when you have fully healed from the malaria and your fever finally goes away and stays away. Speaking of which, how are you feeling, physically?"

Since becoming aware of her blindness, her mind had been focused on solely on that. She had failed to notice anything else about how she was feeling but once Jack mentioned it, it was like her body suddenly came back to life and it wasn't pleasant.

"I feel tired, weak, nauseous, and my head still hurts thought its nothing like it was before."

"Well that's a good sign." Jack replied as her reached over for the thermometer.

"Open up, I want to check your temperature," he continued before slipping the thermometer into her mouth.

"100.6, that's still not where we want it but that's so much better than it was before. Maybe that means that you are finally starting to get well."

"As well as a blind person can get," Kate responded somewhat bitterly.

"Kate, considering how sick you were before, any kind of well is a victory right now," Jack told her sincerely.

They sat silence for a while after this, both of them just trying to wrap their heads around their new reality.

Eventually Kate turned her head to face Jack, wanting so badly to see him even though she knew she couldn't. "Jack, I don't want to be your child, I want to be the woman you love but how can you love me when I'm an invalid that you have to take care of like a baby?" Kate asked through tears

Jack's heart broke to hear her vulnerable question. In that moment he leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers in a brief kiss. He then pulled away and said, "Kate, I want to love you, I want to make love to you, hell, I don't WANT to love you, I DO love you and love doesn't go away just because something tragic happens. I love you eyesight or not. I would love you even if all your hair fell out and you gained 200 pounds. I love you because you have an incredible soul, a heart so big it puts mine to shame, you're passionate and feisty, and just all around beautiful. I know that things aren't going to be like we imagined but that doesn't mean that life can't still be good. I mean, I didn't think my life would turn out to involve an extended stay on a freaky deserted island following a tragic plane crash. But that's what life has handed me and it turns out that I met this love of my life on this freaky island and now my life has taken an unexpected turn but it has stopped my life from being full. We will make sure that your life is full and happy and wonderful, no matter what happens. I want to spend my life taking care of you and making you happy."

Jack took a breath, realizing he had just told Kate everything he had been wanting to tell her for weeks now.

Kate found herself once again dissolving into tears. Kate had never known unconditional love before and to realize that kind of love was coming from Jack and directed toward her made her feel emotionally overloaded. It made her feel incredibly safe and happy but it also made her scared, scared because she knew that she loved him back in the same way. It also made her feel like for the first time since she woke up that she could actually breathe.

"Jack, I have wanted to hear you say that for so long. I think I have been in love with you since I first saw you. Maybe I sewed a piece of my soul into your back that day because you have a part of me that I can never get back nor do I want it back. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't even be alive right now and I trust you explicitly, so even though I know it's going to be a rough road, if you tell me this is all going to be ok, I'll believe you."

"It's going to be ok, Kate, I promise."


	12. Unexpected

"Jack, can I please get out of bed now?"

After confessing their true feelings for each other, Kate's recovery began to pick up in earnest. She awoke the next morning with a fever under 100 degrees for the first time in days and despite her vision problems, she was insistent on not being an invalid.

"Actually Kate, I think a shower and some food would be just what the doctor ordered for you right now," Jack replied.

"Seriously? I can get up?" Kate questioned enthusiastically

"Yep, now who would you like me to ask to help you in the shower? I can send Ana Lucia to get Sun or Claire or someone else?"

"Jack, I can take a shower on my own!" Kate said in an agitated tone.

"Kate, I know you want to do things on your own, but you are still exceptionally weak and you need someone to help you find things until you get the hang of moving around without your sight."

"Oh, so I am so helpless I can even take a shower by myself?" Kate snapped

"Kate, you are not helpless, we've talked about this. But you do need to understand that sometimes you are going to need help."

"I know Jack, I just hate feeling like this, I hate this!" Kate said with tears in her eyes.

"Oh Kate, please don't cry, please," Jack said as he pulled her into his lap and brushed away her tears with his finger. "It's going to be ok Kate. I know it doesn't feel like it now, but it will be. I know I'm not a man of faith, but I have faith that everything is going to be ok. I have faith that you and I are going to live a very happy life together," Jack finished and kissed her forehead.

"You really think we are going to be happy?" Kate whispered in a scared voice.

"Absolutely."

"Ok, I believe you. I'm ok, I'm sorry I'm such a wreck."

"Hey, you're not a wreck, but you have the right to be emotional and overwhelmed right now. You can yell at me anytime you need to!"

"Thank you Jack. Do you think that maybe you could help me in the shower? I mean, I think I can handle the showering by myself but maybe you could help me get there and help me find the things I need and then stay in the room in case I need help?" Kate questioned in a shy voice.

"Kate, I would love to help you." Jack replied as he stood up and placed Kate on her feet and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. They walked slowly to the bathroom, Kate enjoying the feel of using her legs again and Jack making sure that she didn't stumble. Once they got to the bathroom, Jack located everything she would need and then guided her to the edge of the shower.

"Ok Kate, I'm going to turn around now so you can get undressed and get in the shower."

"Jack, you know, I mean, you um, you don't have to turn around, we are in love aren't we?"

"Kate, we are undeniably in love and I cannot wait to see you without your clothes, but I don't want the first time I see you naked to be when you are still recovering from a serious illness. I want it to involve heat and passion. So this time I am going to turn around and give you the best sense of normalcy that I can, but trust me, next time I am the room with you when you take your clothes off, I will be watching every second."

"Heat and passion huh?" Kate questioned with a giggle

"More than you've ever known before Kate." Jack replied in husky voice

Kate then stepped into the shower and Jack remained with her until she stepped out ten minutes later. As soon as she dried herself off she called out for Jack.

"Jack, I think I need your help. I'm so tired I can barely stand right now." Kate whispered in a tired voice.

"Jack immediately moved over to her and picked her up. "Don't worry Kate, that's normal. You are going to be extraordinarily tired for a while. It can take months for your energy levels to return to where they used to be. That just means that it's important that you listen to your body and if you are tired, you rest, ok?"

Kate was already starting to drift off before Jack had even gotten back to the bedroom with her.

"Kate, can you get dressed before you fall back to sleep? You also need to eat something."

"Hmm, ok," Kate mumbled sleepily.

Jack then handed Kate her clothes which she slipped on with a little help from him.

"Ok Kate, what can I get you to eat? It's been several days since you have had anything substantial. There is Dharma brand of almost anything you can think of in the pantry right now, so what would you like?"

"Is there peanut butter?"

"Actually I think there is some. I think Claire decided one jar was enough this time," Jack laughed

"Can I maybe have a peanut butter sandwich?"

"Absolutely!" Jack said with a smile, excited to see that her appetite seemed to be returning.

Jack quickly left and returned with a peanut butter sandwich and a glass of water which he put into Kate's hands. She managed to eat half of the sandwich but she had trouble with the water and ended up spilling it on the bed.

"Damn it! Jack I'm sorry! I can't even eat on my own! I'm useless! I can't do anything! You should have just let me die while I was sick!"

Jack's heart was breaking to hear her express such dark and devastated feelings. The mere thought of her having died nearly made him sick. "Shh, calm down. You are not useless and if you had died then I would be useless because I would be so overcome with grief. This is day one in a new place, it will just take some time to figure things out, but you will get it down, I've seen you, you're a fast learner."

"I'm trying to believe you Jack, I really am, but I just feel like I used to be useful here. I used to gather food and go on hikes and help keep everyone safe and now I'm just another burden."

"Kate…" Jack started to respond but was interrupted by a loud noise outside. Jack wanted to ignore and continue the conversation he was having with Kate but she stopped him.

"Go see what is going on Jack, I know you care about me but I'm not your only burden here."

Jack sighed, knowing that he would not be able to get through to her at the moment anyway and walked out into the main room to see what was going on. His breath caught in his throat at what he saw. Ana Lucia was sitting on the couch, slumped over with blood pouring out of her chest. Michael had a gun pointed at Libby and he quickly fired off two shots. Before Jack could react, Michael turned the gun on him.

"Jack, what are you doing here? You aren't supposed to be here!" Michael said in a panicked voice.

He continued to point the gun at Jack as he moved toward the armory. "Open it Jack! Let him out! Now!" Michael shouted.

"Michael what are you doing? He is one of them! And you just killed two people!"

"Open the door or it will be three people! I mean it Jack, I don't care what I have to do to get my son back! OPEN THE DOOR!"

Jack realized there was nothing he could do at the moment so he moved to open the armory.

Once the door was opened, "Henry Gale" stepped out looking as though he was completely in control of the situation. "You've done well Michael, now let me have the gun."

Michael immediately relinquished control of the gun to Henry. "You've completed your task now Michael, thank you," Henry said before you pointed the gun at Michael and pulled the trigger. Michael fell to the floor in a heap, blood spilling from his temple, obviously dead.

Henry then turned his attention to Jack. "Well Jack, it seems as though you are merely in the wrong place at the wrong time. I convinced Michael that if he would set me free I would reunite him with Walt. He took that to mean he needed to kill his fellow survivors. And it turns out I wasn't exactly truthful anyway. Or maybe he is reunited with Walt now, I don't think I want to tell you. But, now since you were here, you are going to have to die too. Which is unfortunate because I think you could have been useful to my people. Henry then pointed the gun at Jack's chest. Jack saw Kate moving in the bedroom out of the corner of his eye and his last thought was that he hoped she would have enough sense to keep her presence unknown to Henry before he heard a gun shot and braced himself to feel the pain of death.


	13. Not So Useless Now

_Jack saw Kate moving in the bedroom out of the corner of his eye and his last thought was that he hoped she would have enough sense to keep her presence unknown to Henry before he heard a gunshot and braced himself to feel the pain of death._

Jack closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable pain to strike but it never did. After several seconds of pain free silence Jack opened his eyes, immediately terrified that Henry had noticed Kate and shot her. But as Jack opened his eyes, it wasn't Kate's body lying on the floor surrounded by a pool of blood but instead it was Henry's. Jack looked over to see Kate standing just outside the bedroom, gun still raised with a dazed look on her face.

It took both Jack and Kate several moments to realize what had just happened. Kate had shot Henry. Jack quickly moved over to where Henry lay and grabbed the gun that had fallen to the ground by Henry's head, the gun he had been planning to shot Jack with. Jack knelt to feel for a pulse and was not particularly grieved when he failed to find one. Kate had killed Henry with one shot to the head.

Jack looked up and realized that Kate, being unable to see what was going on, was beginning to panic.

"Jack! Jack, are you there? Please be there, please be ok, what happened? JACK!"

Jack immediately jumped up and walked over to her.

"Kate, it's me, I'm here. You can put the gun down now, everything is ok."

"Jack, you're alive?" Kate whispered in a frightened voice

"I am Kate, I'm alive, thanks to you!" Jack said as he gently took the gun out of her hand put it into his pants. He then moved and took Kate's shaking form into his arms.

"You shot him Kate, just before he had a chance to shot me. You saved my life."

"I did?" Kate asked in a voice that reminded Jack of a little girl looking for approval from her father.

"Yeah Kate, you did. Thank you."

"Jack, I heard more gunshots, what happened?" Kate asked, suddenly remembering that something more had happened.

"I came out here and found Ana Lucia dead on the couch and Michael pointing a gun at Libby. He shot and killed her before I could react. Then he demanded that I let Henry out of the armory so I opened it up. Henry stepped out, took the gun from Michael and shot him before turning the gun on me. He was just about to pull the trigger when you showed up."

"Wow…Libby, Ana Lucia, and Michael are all dead? Why would Michael do that? I don't understand!" Kate gasped

"I think Henry convinced him that his people had Walt. If Michael helped Henry escape, Henry promised to reunite him with Walt. I think that Walt is dead too. I think that is what he meant about reuniting them."

"This is all so messed up Jack."

Just as Jack was about to respond the door burst open and Sawyer and Sayid walked into the Hatch.

"What the hell happened here?" Sawyer shouted while drawing his gun.

"Jack? Kate? What is going on?" Sayid questioned

Jack began recounting the story to them as he moved over to Libby to make certain she no longer had a pulse.

"You mean to tell me Mike shot Wonder Woman and Dr. Phil and then the nut job shot Mike and Freckles shot the nut job?"

"Yeah, that about sums it up," Jack replied, moving away from Libby's dead body.

"Did Henry give any valuable information regarding his people before he was shot?" Sayid asked in a tone that indicated he was not too pleased that Henry had been killed before he could get the answers he wanted.

"He was going to kill me Sayid. He orchestrated the deaths of three of us and then turned the gun on me and Kate shot him seconds before he was able to shot me. We got all of the information out of him that we ever could have gotten. Let it go." Jack immediately jumped to defend Kate's actions; not at all willing to let her should any guilt over what had just happened.

"You're right Jack, I'm sorry, there was no other course of action to be taken." Sayid acquiesced

Jack nodded at him and was just about to respond when he heard Kate, who hadn't moved from the spot she stood when she shot Henry, call out to him.

"Jack!" Kate cried with a hint of panic in her voice.

"Kate?" Jack asked, turning around quickly and seeing Kate swaying as if she was about to fall.

"Jack, I don't feel so well." Kate stated just as she began to fall.

Jack immediately jumped up and ran over to her just in time to keep her from smacking her head on the ground as she fell.

"Kate, Kate talk to me, what's wrong?" Jack asked frantically, flashing back to the previous times he had seen Kate fall to the ground.

Jack scooped her up in his arms and moved toward the bedroom with her, leaving Sayid and Sawyer with the bodies and questions in the main room.

"Jack," Kate mumbled groggily

"I'm here Kate, tell me what's going on, please!" Jack begged.

"My head hurts…I'm so tired…" Kate slurred

Jack placed her on the bed and moved his hand to her forehead, feeling it once again burning with fever. Jack was kicking himself for briefly forgetting about her delicate condition. He had been so focused first on her blindness and then on the disaster with Henry that he had forgotten how sick Kate had been just a day earlier. He had seen her making major steps towards recovery but as a doctor he should have been constantly aware of how easily she could slip back. Even if a set back at this point wasn't nearly as dangerous as the initial sickness, it was still something she did not need.

"Don't worry Kate, everything is going to be ok, you just need to rest. Everything was just too much for you right now. Here, take these pills." Jack said as he handed her two pills to help with the pain in her head and reduce her fever.

Kate struggled to stay awake long enough to take the pills, even with Jack's help. Once she had taken the medicine, she fell back against the pillows and immediately fell asleep.

As she slept, Jack placed cool clothes on her face and neck, hoping to help bring her fever back down. He took her hand and once again spoke to her sleeping form.

"Kate, you amaze me. You saved my life today and for that I will be forever grateful. But the courage you displayed in doing so made me fall in love with you even more. I love you more now than I did 3 hours ago and I didn't think that was possible. You are blind and yet you walked into a gun fight and saved me. You walked into a gun fight and won. You were worried about being not being useful and it turns out that you are more useful now than you've ever been. I can't wait to tell you this when you are awake. I can't wait to tell you how wonderful you are and how much I love you. I also can't wait to ask you how the hell you managed to shot Henry right between the eyes when you couldn't even see him!" Jack said with a slight laugh. Jack climbed into bed with Kate and fell asleep holding her close, still rattled from the events of earlier but too concerned with Kate to leave to help the others deal with it all. As long as Kate was okay, nothing else mattered.

* * *

**A/N: I have wanted to have that happen with "Henry" ever since I first watched season 2! **


End file.
